"These attacks are so widespread, they've become so pervasive, that they're hard to even track," said Dietrich.
"The administration is eliminating an important part of our democratic participation … where people still get to have a voice, not just every four years when they vote, but throughout the process of governance."
Legal experts from the Center for Biological Diversity emphasized that cutting public participation would prevent communities from reviewing environmental assessments before they are finalized.
"A 10-day protest period is also insufficient for the public to weigh in when there can be dozens of lease parcels in a single lease sale, each with unique resource concerns," said Wendy Park, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity.
"It's crucial for the public to be able to have time to raise concerns about specific resources on the ground, especially because BLM staff are not oftentimes necessarily familiar with conditions on the ground and what the effects might be of their decisions."
Park argued that early public feedback ultimately benefits federal agencies by preventing lengthy and expensive legal battles later in the permitting process.
"It's a really important way for agencies to actually make better decisions, to make decisions that result in less conflict and ultimately save time and money," said Park.
Administration Defends Streamlining
Internal administration officials defended the regulatory updates, stating that the rollbacks are necessary to remove bureaucratic hurdles holding back economic infrastructure.
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