|
The Interior department’s decision to feature President Donald Trump on the 2026 America the Beautiful national parks pass is likely unlawful, according to legal experts contacted by SFGate. For more than a decade, the annual pass image has been chosen through a public photography contest mandated by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act, the 2004 law that created the annual pass program. By putting Trump’s portrait on multiple passes—including the standard annual pass and a veterans' pass—the administration appears to have sidestepped that requirement.
"The National Park Recreation Pass law as written by Congress is clear and mandates holding a public competition for the annual image," University of Utah natural resource law professor Robert Keiter told SFGate, adding that the law "clearly precludes using the pass and our parks as a political tool." But changing the 2026 pass would require someone to challenge the Trump administration in court, and it's not clear whether that will happen.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also announced Americans will enjoy fewer free days in national parks next year. Parks will not be free to enter on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Juneteenth, but Burgum added President Trump's birthday to the list of free admission days.
Hickenlooper leads on opposing Trump's BLM nominee
Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado became the first member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee to announce he will oppose the nomination of Steve Pearce to lead the Bureau of Land Management. In a statement, Hickenlooper cited Pearce's lengthy anti-public lands record as a member of Congress.
|
Americans deserve a BLM director who will be a true steward of the millions of acres under the agency’s care.
