Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Burgum's 'balance sheet' ignores the real value of American lands
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Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ([link removed])

Doug Burgum, President Donald Trump’s Secretary of the Interior, told oil and gas executives ([link removed]) in March that he believes “that the sum of our national assets is much larger than our national debt.” Burgum was suggesting that by leasing or selling off America’s public lands, the Trump administration could somehow eliminate America’s $33 trillion national debt ([link removed]) .

The full economic value of America’s public lands comes from the fact that they are intact landscapes that provide benefits for all Americans. From hiking and hunting to clean water and wildlife habitat, economists have the ability to measure the economic value of nature. But Donald Trump and Doug Burgum aren’t interested in getting an accurate accounting on America’s public lands, let alone taking into account the unquantifiable aspects that most other Americans value. They see only two things: land to be sold and resources to be extracted.

In a new Westwise blog post ([link removed]) , Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss walks through how actual economists look at the value of lands and nature. President Trump and Interior Secretary Burgum aren’t wrong when they say that public lands are incredible assets on America’s balance sheet. But proposals to pay down the national debt or create a sovereign wealth fund by selling American lands to oligarchs and leasing every possible acre for extraction aren’t just short-sighted and un-American — they’re terrible financial advice. As Weiss explains ([link removed]) , attempts to balance the budget through natural resource extraction have consistently fallen short of expectations, and the land value of most public land parcels is
minimal.

Most importantly, what’s missing from this accounting discussion is the truly unquantifiable nature of public lands. Even when the numbers on a balance sheet fully reflect the economic impact of intact ecosystems, that still doesn’t capture the beauty, inspiration, and solace that every American can find on our public lands.


** Quick hits
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Pro-DOGE Utah congresswoman oversaw anti-public lands nonprofit that misused taxpayer funds

Public Domain ([link removed])

Tribes seek mining reforms amid mineral rush

Seattle Times ([link removed])

State funds to protect wildlife corridor between Joshua Tree National Park, military base

Palm Springs Desert Sun ([link removed])

AZ state legislator's land disposal resolution emboldened by fringe legal theories and Project 2025

Arizona Mirror ([link removed])

Interest in community solar projects grows in Wyoming and Montana

Cowboy State Daily ([link removed])

‘Water is the new oil’ as cities square off over aquifers

Inside Climate News ([link removed])

'Resistence Rangers' create website of removed queer and transgender stories from NPS sites

National Parks Traveler ([link removed])

Opinion: Trump's misguided energy policies are a threat to future generations

The Hill ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” They’re trying to build an energy policy on the backs of the Tribes. We’ve already done that. We’ve already experienced it. So we’re saying don’t do it again.”

—Brian Mason, Chairman of the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Reservation, Seattle Times ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@canyonlandsnps ([link removed])
The Colorado and Green rivers flow through Canyonlands, cutting through rocks to form two deep canyons. The elevation difference between the Island in the Sky district and the rivers is anywhere from 1,000 to 2,000 feet (300-600 meters).

While the mesa top is a dry place with plants and animals that can survive with very little water, the rivers below create a green, shaded environment that supports a different set of plants and animals that rely on the steady flow of water. This dramatic change in elevation and environment makes the river corridors a unique and vital part of Canyonlands.

Learn more about the rivers here: [link removed]

📸: NPS/ Lauren Wimbish

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