** December, in brief
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Utah Senator Mike Lee, Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Source: energy.senate.gov ([link removed])


** Key news from December:
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* Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, introduced an amendment to the Interior appropriations bill ([link removed]) that would have paved the way for the Trump administration to sell off national parks to the highest bidder. Lee's amendment would have struck down language that requires the Interior department to maintain ownership and operation of all existing National Park Service units. Following days of widespread public backlash, Utah Senator Mike Lee has reportedly withdrawn ([link removed]) the amendment.

* The Interior department announced ([link removed]) its decision to feature President Donald Trump on the 2026 America the Beautiful national parks pass. The Center for Biological Diversity is suing ([link removed]) the administration over the decision, noting that the annual pass image must be chosen through a public photography contest mandated by the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act ([link removed]) , 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.

* A federal judge struck down President Donald Trump's order ([link removed]) blocking new wind projects on national public lands and waters, calling it "arbitrary and capricious." U.S. District Judge Patti Saris found that the administration failed to provide a reasoned explanation for freezing billions of dollars in projects, and said that the indefinite pause violated the Administrative Procedure Act ([link removed]) .

* Karen Budd-Falen, the third-highest ranking official at the Interior department under the Trump administration, has long-standing ties to the Thacker Pass lithium mine in Nevada. In a story co-published with High Country News ([link removed]) , Jimmy Tobias and Chris D'Angelo of Public Domain revealed ([link removed]) that in 2018, after Budd-Falen joined the Interior solicitor's office during the first Trump administration, a Nevada ranch co-owned by Budd-Falen and her husband signed a contract to sell water rights to the developer of the Thacker Pass mine for an undisclosed amount of money. The Interior department ultimately approved the Thacker Pass mine in the final week of the first Trump administration.

* Trails maintained by the U.S. Forest Service are being “abandoned ([link removed]) ” and deteriorating rapidly, according to an internal report ([link removed]) based on accounts from over 300 U.S. Forest Service workers across the country. The Forest Service maintains a network of trails in nearly every state that covers 164,000 miles, but the number of trail miles maintained this year is d ([link removed]) own by 22 percent. ([link removed]) The Washington Post ([link removed]) obtained a copy of the
internal report ([link removed]) showing that some Forest Service districts have lost up to 100 percent of their trail staff under President Donald Trump. Since the start of this year, the Forest Service has lost nearly 6,000 employees to firings, resignations, and retirements ([link removed]) pushed by the Trump administration



** What to watch for in January:
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* Will Steve Pearce ([link removed]) be confirmed as director of the BLM?
* Which public lands amendments will make it on the final Interior appropriations bill?

From the Center for Western Priorities:
[link removed]


** The Trump administration is abusing the critical minerals list. That’s a problem for public lands ([link removed])
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The Trump administration is using the list to prioritize resource extraction over all other uses of national public lands

[link removed]

In this episode ([link removed]) of The Landscape, Aaron and Sterling talk to Cody Perry, a filmmaker and founder of Rig to Flip, and Professor Mark Squillace, an expert in public lands and environmental law at the University of Colorado, about the ongoing battle to change Colorado’s restrictive stream access laws. The conversation centers around Perry’s documentary “Common Waters,” which follows Prof. Squillace’s efforts to change the law by attempting to get himself arrested.
[link removed]

On this episode ([link removed]) of the Landscape, Kate and Aaron are joined by filmmaker Annie Ersinghaus, rancher Don Schreiber, and Gail Evans, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, to talk about the impact poorly regulated oil and gas extraction has on New Mexico’s environment. Gail and Don appear in Annie’s new film, The Land of Sacrifice: The Burden of New Mexico’s Oil and Gas Extraction. ([link removed])
Best Reads of the Month


** The year Trump broke the federal government
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Washington Post ([link removed])


** Column: The law that lets the president sell your land
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More Than Just Parks ([link removed])


** Bennet joins Hickenlooper in opposing Steve Pearce for BLM director
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Grand Junction Daily Sentinel ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Repeal of resource management plans will affect millions of acres of public lands
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National Parks Traveler ([link removed])


** The oil man pushing Trump to go all in on fossil fuels
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New York Times ([link removed])


** National park gift shops ordered to purge merchandise that Trump doesn't like
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Lawsuit challenges Trump's face on national parks pass
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The Hill ([link removed]) | Our Public Lands ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed]) | New York Times ([link removed]) | NBC News ([link removed])


** How federal grazing permits benefit the wealthiest ranchers
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NPR ([link removed])


** Drinking water across the West is at risk as Trump targets national monuments
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Center for American Progress ([link removed]) | High Country News ([link removed]) | Inside Climate News ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])


** Westerners denounce Trump’s pick to lead Bureau of Land Management
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National Parks Traveler ([link removed])


**
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Quote of the month


** “Americans deserve a BLM director who will be a true steward of the millions of acres under the agency’s care. Steve Pearce is NOT that person.”
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** —Sen. John Hickenlooper ([link removed]) , Colorado
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Picture this
[link removed]

@usinterior ([link removed])
When winter comes around, it brings the opportunity to experience public lands in a whole new way. But colder weather can present its own set of risks and can make your trip challenging if you are unprepared. ❄️

Before you visit, remember:

❄️ Park and monument closures are common during the winter – check the website beforehand.

❄️ Always check the weather forecast on the day of your trip.

❄️ Be realistic about the difficulty of traveling and recreating in the winter.

Photo @sequoiakingsnps ([link removed]) by Zach Kunselman

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