Conservatives mull over selling public lands to finance Trump's national policies
LAYLA SCARLET, HOST:
The Trump administration's new approach to federal land management ain't sitting well with many folks in the West, especially in Nevada and Utah. They've got their eyes on a big chunk of those public lands, and it seems like every day there's a headline hinting they're about to be snatched up by private companies or local governments. An editorial in the Idaho's major newspaper warns it's a grab for cash. Instagram posts from the National Wildlife Federation scream "public lands are being chopped up." So what's really going on? NPR's Kirk Siegler's been following this story.
KIRK SIEGLER, BYLINE: Nearly half of the land in Western states belongs to the federal government. It's like a wild west game of musical chairs, isn't it? Tracy Stone-Manning, who used to run the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), says nothing's been right since Trump got back in office.
TRACY STONE-MANNING: Republicans are attempting to sell off our public lands to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy.
SIEGLER: The BLM controls a tenth of all U.S. land. Now she runs The Wilderness Society, a group that's fighting hard against the proposed changes to federal land management. They're quick to pounce on leaked plans from the Department of Interior suggesting more land management power for local governments and the release of "federal holdings" to build housing. Environmentalists are freaking out, warning this is the blueprint for giving away millions of acres of treasured hunting and recreation land. But Casey Hammond, who was the acting director of the BLM during Trump's first term, calls this just more scare tactics.
CASEY HAMMOND: This is just a fundraising tactic used by many NGOs to sell more calendars and stuffed animals.
SIEGLER: Hammond says Republicans are simply correcting past mistakes made during the Biden era, when the focus was all about conservation. Let's be real, he says, there's no intention to turn over land to the states or anyone else. Still, leaders in Utah, with backing from Senator Mike Lee, are promising to fight to take control of 18 million acres of federal land. And the idea of an overbearing federal government has long been a favorite rallying cry among Republicans. Reagan even coined the term "sagebrush rebels," calling for transferring rangelands to cattle ranchers and miners. A Reagan appointee wrote the section on federal lands in Project 2025, which calls for speeding up energy project permits and reversing climate policies but doesn't hint at land ownership changes. Ah, politics, ain't it a thing?
SIEGLER: University of Utah law professor John Ruple says Congress has the power to sell off federal land to anyone at any time, but the bigger question is, should they? Ruple and two Trump-supporting congressmen from Idaho and Montana say heck no. They've introduced a bill to prevent any wholesale transfer or sale of federal land.
SIEGLER: Kirk Siegler, NPR News, Denver.
(Music playing under)
Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary.
*Enrichment data taken from United States Department of Interior, Congressional Research Service, and University of Montana's Climate Change Research Center
New Facts Added:
- In Nevada and Utah alone, House Republicans have approved an amendment to sell thousands of acres of federal public land to address local housing and infrastructure challenges[1].
- House Republicans aim to generate revenue through these land sales[4].
- The Trump administration plans to rescind the Public Lands Rule, a conservation-focused regulation established by the Biden administration[5].
- The repeal of the Public Lands Rule could lead to increased resource extraction and potential revenue through land sales and leases[4].
- The proposed changes to federal land management have sparked concerns over long-term implications for public lands' management and conservation efforts[1][4].
- The Biden administration had a heavy focus on conservation, but critics argue this approach undervalues economic development[4].
- There is uncertainty regarding the impact on tribal co-stewardship of public lands due to rescissions of Biden-era actions affecting these areas[3].
- The Trump administration's amended approach to federal land management has drawn criticism in Nevada and Utah, with fears that public lands could be sold to private companies or local governments.
- A piece in Idaho's major newspaper cautions that it's a grab for cash, while the National Wildlife Federation's Instagram posts proclaim the lands are being chopped up.
- Nearly half of the land in Western states is owned by the federal government, with concerns that the Trump administration is attempting to sell off public lands to fund tax cuts for the wealthy.
- The administration's approach may generate revenue through these land sales, while the repeal of the Public Lands Rule, a conservation-focused regulation, could increase resource extraction and lead to potential land sales and leases.
- The proposed changes have raised concerns over long-term implications for public lands and conservation efforts, and have sparked debates on the balance between conservation and economic development.
- Critics argue the Biden administration's heavy focus on conservation undervalues economic development, while uncertainty remains regarding the impact on tribal co-stewardship of public lands due to rescissions of Biden-era actions affecting these areas.
- House Republicans, such as those from Utah and Idaho, have introduced a bill to prevent any wholesale transfer or sale of federal lands to preserve and protect these lands for future generations.
