Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Lawmakers considering sales of public land in budget reconciliation
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Thursday, April 3, 2025
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, BLM Utah ([link removed])
Lawmakers have been discussing selling national public lands as part of a budget reconciliation bill to pay for President Donald Trump's agenda, E&E News reports ([link removed]) . While the details are "fuzzy," possibilities include selling land around national parks and near Western cities to build more housing. This proposal would align with a recent initiative ([link removed]) from the Interior and Housing and Urban Development departments to identify national public lands that could be used for housing, and a recent announcement ([link removed]) from the Bureau of Land Management that it is considering selling lands as far as ten miles from towns with as few as 5,000 people.
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee chair Mike Lee of Utah has signaled his support ([link removed]) for the concept. Lee is a longtime critic of the idea of national public lands, and has used the excuse of housing affordability to promote the idea of selling or giving away national public lands to build housing through his HOUSES Act ([link removed]) .
Other lawmakers have expressed reservations. Representative Ryan Zinke of Montana stated ([link removed]) , "I won't bend on selling our public lands." And a staffer for Senator Steve Daines of Montana stated ([link removed]) , "Senator Daines has never and will never support the sale of public lands." Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota tried to explain away these statements, saying ([link removed]) , "Montana is so different than the other federal lands states... they like their federal lands [for hunting and other activities]." But according to the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project Conservation in the West poll ([link removed]) , voters in all Western states, not just Montana, like
their national public lands for hunting and other activities. Just 14 percent of Western voters want to see national public lands sold to develop housing on natural areas.
MacGregor gives a master class in dodging questions
During her confirmation hearing to serve as Deputy Secretary of the Interior, Katharine MacGregor declined to answer direct questions about DOGE layoffs at the Interior department, the White House’s aborted attempt to eliminate two national monuments in California, President Trump’s executive order attempting to make mining the primary use of America’s public lands, and numerous other issues. "The Trump administration has shown it will try everything to avoid accountability," Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss said in a statement ([link removed]) . "In an already lawless administration, it’s unconscionable for senators to confirm another appointee who appears eager to ignore the courts and the law."
** Quick hits
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The oil industry's inside woman hid public records at Interior
Fieldnotes ([link removed])
People who depend on public lands say firing national park and forest workers stresses nearby communities
Inside Climate News ([link removed])
Wind and solar power are surging in the Mountain West. But that could change under Trump
KUNR ([link removed])
$21.25 million federal grant to protect wildlife corridors is frozen
Jackson Hole News & Guide ([link removed])
Anti-public lands bills take hits in Montana state legislature
Missoula Current ([link removed])
EPA hunt for shady deals and 'gold bars' comes up empty
New York Times ([link removed])
Major legal win for environmental groups in southern Oregon will protect old-growth forests
Jefferson Public Radio ([link removed])
Study finds Rocky Mountain snow contamination from mines
Phys.org ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” The administration’s actions are specifically intended to further decrease the functionality of these agencies by significantly cutting resources and demoralizing dedicated staff, with the ultimate goal being to bolster longstanding efforts by industry and their elected backers to sell off and privatize public lands.”
—Neal Clark, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Inside Climate News ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@usinterior ([link removed])
Leave it better than you found it.
Words we should all aspire to live by. When visiting public lands, strive to leave no trace, avoid leaving lasting marks and remember, take only photographs and leave only footprints.
Photo by Jacob W. Frank / NPS
Alt Text: The Iceberg Lake Trail at Glacier National Park. A bright blue lake sits under steep rocky cliffs with patches of snow. A dirt trail leads through the forest to the lake.
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