H.B. 496, the Public Land Use Amendments bill, was passed in the Utah State House and Senate, and was signed into law by Governor Spencer Cox. The bill restricts Natural Asset Companies’ (NAC) abilities on public land, and opposes a proposed rule from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). 

The bill restricts NAC’s from being able to “purchase or lease state public lands” or “own or manage a conservation lease, or purchase or lease ecosystem services” on public land within the state of Utah.

Ecosystem services is defined as “natural and biological processes on a parcel of land that benefit human well-being and quality of life.”

The bill also opposes a BLM rule proposal that would restrict multiple on land it manages in favor of prioritizing conservation, according to a press release from American Stewards of Liberty. This would impact the ability to hunt, fish, mine, cut timber, and graze livestock on these lands.