SaveFossilCollecting has a post about the new proposed fossil collecting regulations on public lands.  The article does a good job explaining the issue.  Additionally, there are other informative posts on the website.

Petrified wood represents a stone of unique interest in the hearts and minds of the many collectors found in virtually every part of the world. It is prized both as a gemstone by lapidary and jewelry artists, and as a fossil by amateurs and professionals alike. The most prized specimens are highly silicified and easily polished into magnificent display pieces. Many texts have been published for the petrified wood collecting community to celebrate the incredible diversity of both aesthetic beauty and natural history that these specimens represent.