** October, in brief
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Rawlins Field Office in Wyoming. Bureau of Land Management ([link removed])


** Key news from October:
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* The federal government shutdown has unleashed chaos ([link removed]) and uncertainty across the country—including on America’s public lands. Now, at the one-month mark with no end to the shutdown in sight, public lands are experiencing significant impacts. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is taking extraordinary measures to ensure extractive industries can continue with business as usual on America’s public lands during the shutdown. The Trump administration is also attempting to leverage the shutdown ([link removed]) as an opportunity for a permanent workforce reduction at public lands agencies and to continue the systematic gutting of America’s public lands system.

* The U.S. Senate voted ([link removed]) to pass Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions ([link removed]) targeting Bureau of Land Management resource management plans (RMPs) in Montana ([link removed]) , North Dakota ([link removed]) , and Alaska ([link removed]) . RMPs provide the foundation for stability and order on America’s public lands, guiding how millions of acres are managed for energy, recreation, and conservation. Using the CRA on RMPs in this way is unprecedented, and could invalidate ([link removed]) every resource management plan,
including every oil, gas, and mineral lease issued under those plans.

* The Trump administration said it plans to "imminently" terminate more than 2,000 employees ([link removed]) at the Interior department. The reduction in force, or RIF, is partially blocked by a temporary restraining order in a case ([link removed]) brought by unions that represent government employees. The RIF plan would eviscerate USGS regional science centers, as well as positions at the Bureau of Land Management and the main Interior office.

* The largest federal coal lease sale in over a decade brought in just one bid ([link removed]) for less than a penny per ton, illustrating the futility of the Trump administration's efforts to revive the dying coal power industry. The Bureau of Land Management rejected the lone bid ([link removed]) , which would have acquired 167 million tons of coal on public lands in Montana for just $0.001 per ton.

* The Trump administration finalized plans to open Alaska’s most sensitive lands to industrial development ([link removed]) , approving oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and a controversial road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the decision to open all 1.56 million acres of ANWR’s coastal plain ([link removed]) , reversing protections that had been put in place under the Biden administration. The area is the calving ground for the Porcupine Caribou Herd, the foundation of the Gwich’in people's food security and culture. Similarly, the road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge ([link removed]) would endanger one of
the state's last intact coastal wildlands.



** What to watch for in November:
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* How will the next round of RIFs impact public lands?
* Will the government shutdown come to an end?

From the Center for Western Priorities:


** Report: Oil & Gas Government Shutdown Tracker
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[link removed]
The Center for Western Priorities’ Oil & Gas Shutdown Tracker monitors the approval of federal onshore oil and gas drilling permits during the 2025 government shutdown.
Read the report ([link removed])
[link removed]


** What has the government shutdown cost America’s public lands? ([link removed])
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The Trump administration is leveraging the government shutdown to permanently cut staff and benefit extractive industries

[link removed]


** SNPLMA is unique to Nevada, not a template for affordable housing in the West ([link removed])
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SNPLMA is unique by design and was never intended to be a precedent for other states.

[link removed]

Aaron talks ([link removed]) to Rep. Jared Huffman ([link removed]) , ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee ([link removed]) , about the government shutdown, whether Adelita Grijalva ([link removed]) will ever get sworn in, and what he tells people who ask what’s bringing him hope in this dark time.
Best Reads of the Month


** The shutdown's impacts on national parks and public lands offer a preview of Trump's long-term vision
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Center for American Progress ([link removed])


** Trump fossil fuel approvals keep coming despite government shutdown
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The Hill ([link removed])


** Despite Trump admin’s best efforts, interest in coal mining across the West is falling flat
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Salt Lake Tribune ([link removed])


** Shutdown, staffing cuts taking a toll at National Park Service
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Roll Call ([link removed])


** Outdoor industry voices largely missing in the discussion over fate of public lands
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National Parks Traveler ([link removed])


** Trump targets federal employees working on conservation and environmental protection
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Grist ([link removed])


** Opinion: Trump and Burgum are using the shutdown to destroy national parks
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The Hill ([link removed])


** New bill from Senator Lee would butcher the Wilderness Act under the guise of border security
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Outdoor Life ([link removed])


** Squatters, illegal BASE jumpers invade Yosemite amid federal shutdown
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SFGATE ([link removed])


** Scientist learns he won Nobel prize while hiking in Montana
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The Guardian ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed])


**
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Quote of the month


** “It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
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** —Former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton ([link removed])
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Picture this
[link removed]
@coparkswildlife ([link removed])

Happy Halloween 👻

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