Key news from October:
- The federal government shutdown has unleashed chaos 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 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 to pass Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions targeting Bureau of Land Management resource management plans (RMPs) in Montana, North Dakota, and Alaska. 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 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 at the Interior department. The reduction in force, or RIF, is partially blocked by a temporary restraining order in a case 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 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, 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, 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, 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 would endanger one of the state's last intact coastal wildlands.
What to watch for in November:
- How will the next round of RIFs impact public lands?
- Will the government shutdown come to an end?
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From the Center for Western Priorities:
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Report: Oil & Gas Government Shutdown Tracker
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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.
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The Trump administration is leveraging the government shutdown to permanently cut staff and benefit extractive industries
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SNPLMA is unique by design and was never intended to be a precedent for other states.
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Aaron talks to Rep. Jared Huffman, ranking member of the House Natural Resources Committee, about the government shutdown, whether Adelita Grijalva will ever get sworn in, and what he tells people who ask what’s bringing him hope in this dark time.
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The shutdown's impacts on national parks and public lands offer a preview of Trump's long-term vision
Center for American Progress
Trump fossil fuel approvals keep coming despite government shutdown
The Hill
Despite Trump admin’s best efforts, interest in coal mining across the West is falling flat
Salt Lake Tribune
Shutdown, staffing cuts taking a toll at National Park Service
Roll Call
Outdoor industry voices largely missing in the discussion over fate of public lands
National Parks Traveler
Trump targets federal employees working on conservation and environmental protection
Grist
Opinion: Trump and Burgum are using the shutdown to destroy national parks
The Hill
New bill from Senator Lee would butcher the Wilderness Act under the guise of border security
Outdoor Life
Squatters, illegal BASE jumpers invade Yosemite amid federal shutdown
SFGATE
Scientist learns he won Nobel prize while hiking in Montana
The Guardian | New York Times
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“It’s not his house. It’s your house. And he’s destroying it.”
—Former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton
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