The new strategic plan for the U.S. Interior Department, which calls for selling off public lands, is drawing criticism from different sides of the political spectrum.
The recently released five-year plan says, “The Department will work to decrease the size of the federal estate by offering to states, localities and Tribes the opportunity to purchase federal lands.
“Through these sales, the Department will be able to focus its resources on primary federal responsibilities and nationally significant federal lands. “
The plan does not define “nationally significant federal lands.”
In a statement Thursday, Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said, “Public lands belong in public hands, and we’ll fight tooth and nail to keep them that way.”
Montana senators Steve Daines and Tim Sheehy, both Republicans, have also voiced opposition to such public-lands sales.
In the publication Outdoor Life, Ryan Callaghan, president and CEO of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, says, “From a hunting and angling perspective, we love the places that are not of national significance.”
The new strategic plan also calls for more cuts to the department’s workforce: “The Department will consolidate its workforce to advance operational efficiencies.”
The plan says Interior will upgrade infrastructure and facilities to power data centers. “Upgrades and new technologies build flexibility that addresses growing demand from Super Intelligence data centers, industry and growing communities,” the plan says.
An Instagram post from “Resistance Rangers” says Interior rangers recently had a meeting with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that it called “a complete waste of time.”
“In his own written ‘strategic’ words,” the post says, “turns out what he really wants is to:
infest public lands with data centers
sell off the rest of it, and
push out rangers who could stop him.”
Kate Groetzinger, communications director for the nonprofit Center for Western Priorities, told KSJD in a phone interview that people concerned about land sales should ask their congressional representatives to block implementation of the plan.
She said there is also a comment period now open on the Interior strategic plan.
The new Democrat-controlled Congress would undoubtedly oppose much of the strategic plan, but parts of it could be implemented before the new legislators are sworn in.
The Bureau of Land Management is able to sell parcels of public land that are smaller than 2,500 acres without congressional approval, but there are restrictions.
The land has to meet one of the following conditions, according to Groetzinger:
it is “difficult and uneconomic” to manage, it is no longer needed for any federal purpose, or selling it serves “important public objectives.”
The land must be identified as available for disposal in a resource management plan, she explained in an email, and sold at no less than fair market value.
“This could be an avenue to sell off some public lands, as nothing in the statute limits how much land BLM can sell over time,” she said. “For example, the administration could try to split a large tract into several sales of 2,500 acres or less.”
The Recreation and Public Purposes Act also allows BLM to convey land to states, local governments, tribes, and nonprofits, sometimes at a discount or for free, according to Groetzingr. It includes acreage limits of 6,400 acres a year for recreation and 640 acres a year for other public purposes.
The concern is that Interior officials may try to make some sales before January 2027, when the new Congress is seated.
“You can’t undo land sales after they happen,” Groetzinger told KSJD.
Groetzinger said the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act (BAAJA), which reforms and streamlines the permitting process for federal projects, would, if passed, facilitate the goals in the Interior strategic plan.
In order to speed up the permitting process, the bill would weaken elements of environmental laws such as the Clean Water Act (CWA), the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA). It would reduce environmental review and opportunities for public comment, and restrict courts’ ability to stop projects that were proceeding under unlawful permits.
“The permitting bill is the key to unlock this plan,” she said. “It reduces environmental reviews and legal recourse after decisions are made. The permitting bill would make it easier to implement [the Interior plan] and harder to undo.”
In an emailed statement, she said, “Combined with BAAJA, this [strategic] plan is a death sentence for public lands.”
The BAAJA bill is the result of a lengthy effort and has broad support, but it is also controversial.
On Nov. 8, a group of tribal organizations released a statement voicing “strong opposition” to the BAAJA bill, saying proposed changes to the National Historic Preservation Act “fundamentally undermine Tribal sovereignty” and “threaten sacred sites and cultural resources.”
The statement is signed by ten tribal organizations. Among them are the All Pueblo Council of Governors, which includes 19 pueblo tribes in New Mexico, and the Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona, which includes the Navajo and Hopi nations.
On Nov. 9, the Senate advanced the BAAJA bill through a 73-25 vote to invoke cloture, a measure that ends debate. The bill will face further consideration in the Senate.
Hickenlooper voted in favor of advancing the bill through cloture, while Colorado Senator Michael Bennet voted against it.
Gail Binkly is a career journalist who has worked for the Colorado Springs Gazette and Cortez Journal, and was the editor of the Four Corners Free Press, based in Cortez.