Yesterday, the Department of the Interior bragged "I know a spot" and posted an Utah overlook so alien it looks like another planet.
What they didn't post: tomorrow, the rule that said this land's health matters officially dies.
The spot is Moonscape Overlook — gray bentonite badlands carved by wind and water over millions of years. No facilities. No crowds. Just silence and a view that doesn't look like this planet.
People drive an hour down a dirt road just to stand on the rim and stare.
It's Bureau of Land Management land. Public land. Your land.
In 2024, the Public Lands Rule said something radical only in its simplicity: before leasing, drilling, or mining 245 million acres of America's public lands, conservation had to be weighed as an equal. 92% of public commenters supported it.
This spring, the administration rescinded it. 138,161 people wrote in. The rule was erased anyway — effective June 11, 2026.
So while Interior collects likes on that photo — replies full of "thank you for protecting our beautiful lands" — the same department has quietly erased the protection.
What dies with the rule? Protection for the drinking water one in ten westerners gets from these lands. Protection for the endangered wildlife that depends on them. And accountability when corporations leave the land scarred and walk away.
Utah's vulnerable public lands are already being leased. In March, 68,632 acres were signed away in a single day.
Tens of thousands more go up for auction this month — every 2026 lease sale is in the infographic sourced below. ⬇️ and while you’re there, check out the US Department of Interior’s own post just today — you don’t want to miss it.
92% of us said keep the rule. They threw it out anyway.
Who exactly are our public lands being managed for?
#DemsUnited