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Last updated: 04/04/03

BLM Publishes Rule Requiring Permits for Public Demonstrations

At Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

The Bureau of Land Management today published an interim final rule that requires groups or individuals to obtain a permit for public demonstrations at Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah. The BLM's interim final rule, which takes effect today, gives the BLM permit-issuance authority to manage public demonstrations and protests within the Monument. The rule is not directed in any way at the subject matter of any such demonstrations or protests; it does affect when and where such activities may be held. The BLM will accept public comments on today's rule for the next 30 days and will publish a final rule after reviewing those comments.

"This interim final rule is intended to make sure that visitors to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument have safe access to our visitor centers and to other Monument facilities," said BLM Utah State Director Sally Wisely. "The rule also seeks to prevent confrontations between opposing groups and to protect special places within the Monument."

The interim final rule, she said, "generally gives the BLM a management tool to ensure visitor access and resource protection without infringing on the free-speech and assembly rights of protesters."

The BLM's Monument Office in Kanab will be responsible for issuing the demonstration permits. The interim rule requires applicants to submit dates, location, duration, and format of the demonstration. Also, the BLM will ask applicants to provide an estimate of the number of participants, types of props, sound equipment, vehicles, and related information in order to assess impact on resources within the Monument.

Wisely encouraged the public to submit comments about the interim final rule during the 30-day comment period "so that we can make any necessary revisions before finalizing the rule."

Comments must be submitted in writing by October 2, 2000, to Director (630), Bureau of Land Management, Administrative Record, Room 401 LS, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20240. Comments may also be sent electronically via the Internet to WOComment@blm.gov. Electronic comments should include the subject heading "Attn: AD40."

Copies of the interim final rule may be obtained from the BLM's Utah State Office (324 South State Street, 4^th Floor, Salt Lake City, 84111). The rule is also accessible from the Internet at www.blm.gov and from the Federal Register Web site at http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html.

The BLM, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land - 264 million surface acres -- than any other Federal agency. Most of this public land is located in 12 Western States, including Alaska. The Bureau, which has a budget of $1.4 billion and a workforce of about 8,700 employees, also administers 700 million acres of subsurface minerals estate throughout the nation. The BLM preserves open space by managing the public lands for multiple uses, including outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, and mining, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources found on the public lands.

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