Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** Interior funding bill bucks big cuts proposed by Trump
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Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Stewart Lee Udall Department of the Interior Building; Source: doi.gov ([link removed])
Congressional appropriators released final spending bills ([link removed]) for fiscal year 2026 for the Interior department, Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department of Energy on Monday. The package cuts funding slightly for most Interior department agencies, but stops well short of President Donald Trump's ([link removed]) recommended cuts ([link removed]) .
The Bureau of Land Management is set to receive $1.34 billion, down from $1.41 billion in fiscal year 2025 ([link removed]) , but up from the $936 million recommended by Trump. Similarly, the Park Service is set to receive $3.27 billion, down from $3.34 billion in 2025 ([link removed].) , but up from Trump's $2.12 billion. Fish and Wildlife is set to receive $1.65 billion, down from $1.68 billion in 2025 ([link removed].) , but up from Trump's $1.14 billion. Finally, the Forest Service is set to receive $8.61 billion, up from ;$8.55 billion in 2025
([link removed]) , and well above the $3.05 billion recommended by Trump.
The National Parks Conservation Association celebrated the package, saying ([link removed]) , "These funding levels should keep parks open and staff on the ground as the system has been nearing a breaking point after losing a quarter of its permanent workforce in 2025."
While his funding recommendations weren't followed, President Trump's priorities appear elsewhere in the bills, according to a House Appropriations Committee summary of the funding package. ([link removed]) For example, the bills increase funding for onshore oil and gas development by $7.4 million and prevent sage-grouse from being listed under the Endangered Species Act. They also eliminate funding for environmental justice programs, increase funding for law enforcement on public lands, and prevent attempts to delay access to public lands for grazing.
** Quick hits
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What will be the biggest public land stories of 2026?
Deseret News ([link removed])
Canadian conservationists alarmed by US border security plans
Canada's National Observer ([link removed])
Feds threaten to terminate Colorado's authority to manage wolves
Colorado Politics ([link removed])
DOI cracks down on stickers covering Trump's face on national park passes
SFGate ([link removed])
Not settled yet: Wyoming hunting access issues will likely repeat in 2026
Cowboy State Daily ([link removed])
Trump official's family busted cashing in on government deals
Daily Beast ([link removed])
BLM opens sage-grouse habitat to development
Wyoming Tribune Eagle ([link removed])
How the Trump administration sold out public lands in 2025
Los Angeles Times ([link removed])
** Quote of the day
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” The impacts of the Trump/Burgum cuts to public land staffing will become even more apparent [in 2026]... They were able to paper over some of the damage [in 2025], but eventually you have to pay the piper when you lose that much experience and personnel.”
—Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss, Deseret News ([link removed])
** Picture This
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@BLMNational ([link removed])
It’s National Bird Day!
Did you know ... The deep canyon of Idaho’s Snake River hosts the highest concentration of nesting birds of prey in North America, making it a vital National Conservation Area.
By day, hawks and eagles rule the skies. By night, the Milky Way lights the way for stealthy, swooping owls.
It's no wonder the birds love it here. It’s owl about location, location, location!
Bob Wick
@blmidaho ([link removed])
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