On September 27, 2024, BLM announced that the Steens Mountain Advisory Council (SMAC) will hold a two-day meting on October 10-11 in Hines, Oregon to discuss IRA projects, among other topics. SMAC is a citizen-based advisory group that was born out of the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act of 2000 (Public Law 106-399). SMAC will hold a public comment session on both days of the meeting at 1:30 pm on Thursday, October 10, and 11:15 am on Friday, October 11. The meeting will be held in person at the Bureau of Land Management’s Burns District Office, 28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon. The public may also participate virtually; details for virtual attendance can be found here.
According to the meeting agenda, the IRA discussion will focus on the Southeast Oregon Sagebrush Restoration Landscape project. The BLM has committed $161 million in funding to restoration landscapes, including $10 million to restore the Southeast Oregon Sagebrush, which is provided by IRA section 50222 for public land conservation and ecosystem restoration.