The Trump administration on Monday said it would repeal a Biden-era rule that allowed public lands to be leased for conservation purposes, abandoning an effort to protect millions of acres from both industrial development and the effects of climate change.

The rule, issued by the Bureau of Land Management, had prioritized the use of federal lands for conservation, recreation and renewable energy development. Since returning to office, though, President Trump has championed their use for oil and gas drilling, coal mining, logging and livestock grazing.

The regulation applied to roughly 245 million acres of public lands overseen by the bureau, which make up about one-tenth of the country. It did not apply to national parks, which are overseen by the National Park Service.

Read more in the New York Times here.

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