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Public Lands

All articles tagged with #public lands

Trump Shrinks Utah Monuments, Sparking Backlash Over Public Lands
news1 month ago

Trump Shrinks Utah Monuments, Sparking Backlash Over Public Lands

President Donald Trump issued proclamations dramatically downsizing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments in Utah, reducing protections by roughly 3 million acres and potentially opening the lands to industry. Trump framed the move as advancing energy/resource independence, but tribes, Democratic lawmakers, and conservationists condemned it as unlawful and pledged legal challenges. Biden had restored protections in 2021, and critics argue the Antiquities Act does not authorize downsizing existing monuments.

via Common Dreams|
#donald-trump#environment#fossil-fuels
Court bid targets UFC’s White House bout on federal ground
politics2 months ago

Court bid targets UFC’s White House bout on federal ground

A last‑minute lawsuit filed on behalf of two Virginia residents seeks to block the UFC’s June 14 event on the White House South Lawn, arguing the private, for‑profit production on federal land lacks proper congressional authorization and improperly benefits a private company linked to the president. The Interior Department maintains the event is properly permitted, while plaintiffs push for a court order before the fight to prevent the event and highlight concerns over private access to sacred spaces. Security and public attention surrounding the semiquincentennial add to the controversy.

via WTOP|
#lawsuit#national-park-service#politics
Administration expands hunting access on national parks and federal lands
politics3 months ago

Administration expands hunting access on national parks and federal lands

President Trump's Interior Department has issued an order directing agencies to remove what it calls unnecessary barriers to hunting and fishing on 55 sites in the lower 48, expanding where hunters may operate within national parks, refuges and wilderness areas. Supporters say the move broadens public access, supports rural economies and conservation, while critics warn of safety risks and wildlife impacts and note the changes came with limited public discussion; some sites have already relaxed rules, including proposals to lift restrictions on tree stands and hunting along trails.

via PBS|
#conservation#hunting#national-parks
Forest Service overhaul prompts union fears of chaos and forced relocations
politics4 months ago

Forest Service overhaul prompts union fears of chaos and forced relocations

Trump-era plans to overhaul the US Forest Service would move the headquarters to Salt Lake City, consolidate research in Colorado, and shutter regional offices in favor of state directors, prompting unions to call the change illegal and warning it could force staff to relocate or resign and endanger public lands management amid prior staffing cuts and reduced wildfire mitigation.

via The Guardian|
#forest-service#politics#public-lands
Forest Service Reorganization Fueled by Timber Push Draws Fire
environment4 months ago

Forest Service Reorganization Fueled by Timber Push Draws Fire

An opinion piece argues the Trump administration is dismantling the U.S. Forest Service to advance privatization of public lands: relocating HQ to Salt Lake City, expanding state-level coordination, boosting timber production and funding for sawmills, and scaling back research—actions the author says threaten long-term forest health for short-term timber gains.

via Defector|
#environment#forest-management#forest-service
Forest Service Shakeup Moves HQ to Utah, Shuts Regions and Science
environment4 months ago

Forest Service Shakeup Moves HQ to Utah, Shuts Regions and Science

An opinion piece argues the Trump administration is conducting a coordinated dismantling of the US Forest Service by relocating its headquarters to Utah, shuttering all regional offices, consolidating decades of research facilities, and replacing career staff with political appointees, effectively paving the way for transferring federal lands to the states and eroding scientific capacity; it urges Congress to immediately block relocation and funding until full oversight and debate are possible.

via WhoWhatWhy|
#environment#forest-service#land-transfer
Trump’s border-wall expansion moves through public lands, alarming environmentalists
immigration5 months ago

Trump’s border-wall expansion moves through public lands, alarming environmentalists

Washington Post reporters document hundreds of miles of border wall being built through ecologically sensitive lands along the Rio Grande in West Texas, funded by $46.5 billion from the One Big Beautiful Bill and aided by a 2005 law waiving environmental rules; advocates warn the expansion would destroy pristine habitat, threaten endangered species, and sever access to sacred Indigenous and archaeological sites.

via The Washington Post|
#border-wall#environment#immigration
politics5 months ago

Idaho Urges: Public Lands Not For Sale During Pearce’s BLM Hearing

At Steve Pearce’s confirmation hearing for the Bureau of Land Management, Sen. Jim Risch pressed him on whether he or President Trump could sell public lands, asserting there is no authority to do so. Pearce said he would follow the law and defer to states, but did not fully renounce past views. Idahoans and conservation groups oppose land sales, citing a poll and describing public lands as sacred, while critics point to Pearce’s past support for land disposal and ties to oil/gas interests. A Senate vote date has not yet been scheduled.

via Idaho Statesman|
#bureau-of-land-management#idaho#jim-risch
Public Lands Grazing: Massive subsidies, wealth concentration, and mounting environmental costs
environment7 months ago

Public Lands Grazing: Massive subsidies, wealth concentration, and mounting environmental costs

ProPublica and High Country News document a taxpayer-supported public-lands grazing system where 2024 fees run ~93% below private-market rates, subsidies exceed $2.5 billion, and wealth is concentrated among a small group of permittees, even as tens of millions of acres show environmental degradation and oversight has weakened amid political influence and a push to expand subsidies.

via ProPublica|
#blm#environment#environmental-impact