Cattle graze along a section of the Missouri River that includes the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument near Fort Benton, Mont., on Sept. 19, 2011. A Biden administration proposal would allow the sales of conservation leases on federal lands to restore degraded habitat. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown, File)
May 15, 2023
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May 15, 2023 9:20 a.m.
Biden proposal would let conservationists lease public land much as drillers and ranchers do
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The Biden administration wants to put conserving vast government-owned lands on equal footing with oil drilling, livestock grazing and other interests, according to a top administration official who defended the idea against criticism that it would interfere with industry.