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US Politics

Trump's Interior Department proposes selling public lands to states, tribes and local governments

The five-year plan names no specific lands, and Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke and Sen. Martin Heinrich, a Democrat, say they oppose sales.

The Department of the Interior headquarters in Washington in 2008
The Department of the Interior headquarters in Washington in 2008. Photo: APK is gonna miss Jeffpw, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
9 news outlets reported this
Liberal3 outletsBacklash to a plan to sell public landsCenter4 outletsWho would buy the land and who objectsConservative2 outletsThe plan to sell lands to governments
ABRAnews EditorialPublished 1 min read
Overview

According to a five-year strategic plan from the , the Trump administration intends to transfer public land to states, tribes and local governments through sales. Deseret News reports the plan was released Nov. 10. Its stated aim is to "decrease the size of the federal estate" so the government can focus on "nationally significant" lands.

Officials gave no details on which lands could be sold, or the scope or location of sales. Interior officials said that part of any money from a sale would be returned to the purchaser to be spent on conservation elsewhere. Land transfers and exchanges are another part of the plan, intended to help expand the production of energy.

Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Montana Republican who was Interior secretary in Trump's first term, "remains firmly opposed" to sales or transfers, his office said. It said he would vote against any such legislation that comes up before he leaves after this term. Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat, said public lands "belong in public hands."

It is uncertain whether Interior Secretary Doug Burgum can reach the goals without Congress. The plan covers 2026 to 2030 and would not bind future administrations. Similar Western proposals last year, including one by Sen. Mike Lee, failed amid bipartisan opposition.

Key figures
  • more than 750,000 square milesland overseen by the Interior DepartmentThe Seattle Times
  • almost 80%share of Nevada under federal controlThe Seattle Times
  • more than 2 million acresland Sen. Mike Lee proposed selling last year, a proposal that failedThe Seattle Times

Three sides of the story

3Liberal4Center2Conservative

9 news outlets reported this

Tap a color or swipe sideways to switch sides.

Liberal3 outlets

Backlash to a plan to sell public lands

The Independent headlines the "immediate backlash" and opens with the plan's stated aim to "decrease the size of the federal estate." It says the strategy reflects the administration's view that public land should be put to use rather than preserved, and ties land transfers and exchanges to the administration's pro-fossil fuel agenda. ABC News carries the AP report, datelined Billings, Montana, under the headline "Trump administration to pursue public land sales and a decrease in federal ownership."

Both quote Sen. Martin Heinrich's line that "Public lands belong in public hands." Both report that Rep. Ryan Zinke's office says he "remains firmly opposed to the sale or transfer of public lands." Both note that officials offered no details on which lands could be sold, and that it is unclear whether Interior Secretary Doug Burgum can reach the goals without Congress.

Both recall that last year's Western proposals, including Sen. Mike Lee's, collapsed amid opposition from both parties, and that future administrations would not be bound by the plan.

Center4 outlets

Who would buy the land and who objects

The Seattle Times runs the AP report under "Trump administration wants to sell public lands and shrink the federal estate." It says pushback from some lawmakers, including Zinke, shows the plan "faces strong headwinds in Congress," quotes law professor Mark Squillace on federal limits on selling land, and gives Rep. Jared Huffman's pledge that Democrats will resist. Deseret News leads with the plan's Nov. 10 release and how and to whom lands would be offered.

It quotes Burgum on the need for a "reliable, affordable and secure energy foundation" and his remark to the paper, "We're in the business of access." It also cites Kate Groetzinger of the Center for Western Priorities, who says the plan "prioritizes extraction over conservation," and Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto, who says she is "prepared to fight." Deseret reports the plan would consolidate the public lands workforce.

The Hill reports that Interior eyes public land sales and workforce change.

Conservative2 outlets

The plan to sell lands to governments

The Washington Times reports that a new five-year Interior Department plan shows the administration intends to sell public land to states, tribes and local authorities, as part of a push to "decrease the size of the federal estate."

All sources: 9 articles from 9 outlets

Liberal (3)

Center (4)

Conservative (2)

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  5. Trump's Interior Department proposes selling public lands to states, tribes and local governmentsThis story
Interior Department

The federal ministry that manages public lands, national parks, water and natural resources. It has nothing to do with the police.

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Congress

The US parliament: the Senate and the House of Representatives. A bill becomes law when both pass it and the president signs it.

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