public land

Wyoming Supreme Court Justice John Fenn said awarding damages for emotional pain from a traumatic event such as the survivor of a car crash could open a floodgate of litigation.

A federal judge in Idaho blocked the Trump administration plans last year over concerns that they could harm greater sage grouse, a ground-dwelling bird.

The agency manages 383,000 square miles of land, primarily in western states.

Yet the administration's critics could not point to any major sales of federal lands to outside entities in the 19 months since the Republican took office.

But there's no guarantee those programs will continue indefinitely, Webster said.

It will also adopt additional trapping protections to prevent inadvertent grizzly bear deaths.

Bernhardt has been nominated to replace former Secretary Ryan Zinke, who resigned in January.

Most of the land is within the Custer Gallatin National Forest, but the underground minerals are overseen by the Interior Department.

Supporters say changing royalty payments calculations would standardize and simplify the process.

Miller and others contend the federal government hampers development of minerals on public lands.