Making the Modern Bureau of Land Management

Abstract

This chapter traces the developments leading to the formation of the modern Bureau of Land Management (BLM) across multiple presidencies. At the time, the Kennedy and Johnson administrations enthusiastically supported revamping how the BLM was to manage the public lands under its care. Here, the chapter introduces the Public Land Law Review Commission (PLLRC), which studies and recommends reforms in the nation's laws dealing with public lands (other than military lands and those in the national park system). It also takes a look at the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, or FLPMA, which incorporated many of the PLLRC's recommendations. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act began with a policy declaration once again reaffirming that public lands managed by the BLM “be retained in Federal ownership,” except under very narrow circumstances. It directed that BLM-managed public lands be managed on a “multiple use” and “sustained yield” basis. The 1979 “sagebrush rebellion” and subsequent developments in the West are also covered.