Key news from May:
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After persistent bipartisan opposition to an amendment that would have sold or swapped hundreds of thousands of acres of public land in Utah and Nevada, House Republicans scrapped public land sales from the latest version of their tax cut, energy, and border security bill. The controversial amendment was backed by Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei and Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy. Former Interior secretary and congressman from Montana Ryan Zinke, who is now co-chair of the newly-formed Bipartisan Public Lands Caucus, advocated for the removal of the land sell-off language, arguing that large-scale divestment of public lands was a “red line” for him. “Clearly, selling off public lands is still a third rail for members of Congress on both sides of the aisle,” said Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss.
- The Interior department announced a new policy intended to accelerate and expand oil and gas drilling on national public lands. According to an Instruction Memorandum, the Bureau of Land Management will shorten its review times for parcels offered for oil and gas leasing to six months, about half of what review times were during the second half of the Biden administration. An Interior department press release noted that the policy changes are meant to support President Donald Trump's "energy dominance" agenda. An analysis from S&P Global Commodity Insights predicts that U.S. oil production will actually decline in 2026 due to economic factors, despite the Trump administration's attempts to use policy to force production.
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President Trump's proposed 2026 budget would gut the National Park Service (NPS), slashing $1.2 billion from the agency's current $4.8 billion budget. $900 million of the cuts would come from NPS operations—a proposal that Theresa Pierno, the president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, called “nothing less than an all-out assault on America's national parks.” The proposal calls for giving away an undisclosed number of the park service's 433 sites to states. According to analyses from the The National Parks Experience blog, $900 million in cuts would require the complete defunding of no fewer than 339 NPS units.
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Interior Secretary Doug Burgum signed an order directing all 433 national park sites to post signs asking visitors to report any posted information that tells a negative story about the site or its history. According to the order, Interior agencies must identify properties that contain depictions or other information that “inappropriately disparages Americans past or living” and replace this with “content that focuses on the greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.” The order could impact the educational content at sites that chronicle dark moments of U.S. history, including places like Amache National Historic Site in Colorado, where over 10,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated from 1942 to 1945, and Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, which commemorates the forced relocation of the Cherokee people after Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
What to watch for in June:
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From the Center for Western Priorities:
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Report: Trump Drilling Dashboard
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Legislative and administrative reforms made to the onshore oil and gas program since 2022 have brought about more effective management of national public lands and a more balanced approach to oil and gas leasing on them. The impact of these reforms is already apparent – companies no longer nominate vast tracts of land for auction that they have no intention of bidding on, leasing is prioritized in areas with high potential for development and minimal conflicts with other public land resources, and increased royalty and lease rates have not deterred companies from bidding on land they have legitimate interest in developing. As a result, lease sales informed by these critical updates—which we call “responsible leasing”—have generated increasingly greater per-acre bids and resulted in a significant decrease in the proportion of public lands being wastefully offered at oil and gas lease auctions. Western voters overwhelmingly support these reforms that safeguard wildlife, public lands, and drinking water, and protect taxpayers.
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Last minute changes nixed public land sell-off and saved resource management plans, but major threats remain as the bill heads to the Senate
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100 days in, the Trump administration is trying to take us 100 years back
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Kate and Aaron talk to Tracy Stone-Manning, former director of the Bureau of Land Management and current president of The Wilderness Society. Tracy tells us what it was like to inherit an agency that was decimated by the first Trump administration and what she’s worried about this time around—but also, what’s giving her hope for America’s public lands.
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Kate and Aaron talk to Kurt Repanshek, founder and editor of National Parks Traveler, about President Donald Trump’s proposed funding cuts to the National Park System as well as how staffing cuts imposed by Elon Musk’s DOGE are affecting the Park Service.
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Kate and Aaron speak with Len Necefer, CEO & Founder of NativesOutdoors, a native owned outdoor media, apparel and consulting company. You may also know him as the man behind the Sonoran Avalanche Center Instagram account.
Len talks about his latest project, a documentary film about the Colorado River basin titled The American Southwest, and how he’s advocating for public lands under the second Trump administration.
Follow NativesOutdoors and Fin & Fur Films on Instagram for updates on the 2025 theatrical release of The American Southwest.
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Trump's big oily bill
HEATED
In the name of efficiency, Navajo president calls on Trump administration to preserve Bears Ears
Utah News Dispatch
Analysis: Congress' tax bill is selling out America's lands and waters
The Land Desk | Center for American Progress
Opinions: Public lands are a national treasure and must not be sold
Tracy Stone-Manning [Writers on the Range] | Drew McConville [The Hill] | Karen Meredith [Sacramento Bee]
Former National Park Service directors warn Burgum to reverse course
National Parks Traveler | E&E News
Opinion: This land was your land, this land was my land. Now it's for sale
New York Times
How to visit crowded (and underfunded) national parks this summer
Outside
Trump promised 'energy dominance.' Instead, energy companies are faltering
Washington Post
Trump asks Congress to cut at the heart of the West
High Country News
Column: The great hijacking of 'multiple use'
More Than Just Parks
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“Public lands are not bargaining chips. They are the backbone of our economy, our culture and our identity. Selling them off in secret to fund the wealthy is not just bad policy, it is a disgrace. The people of Nevada and all Americans deserve better.”
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@usinterior
Spring in @yellowstonenps means bear cubs are emerging from dens with their mothers, usually in April and May. Adorable? Absolutely. But always watch from at least 100 yards away and let your zoom lens do the close-ups.
Photo by Christy Alejandra
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