In November, President Trump tapped former New Mexico Congressman Steve Pearce to run the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Over the course of his tenure in Congress, Pearce cosponsored legislation to privatize public lands. In a 2012 letter to Congress, Pearce advocated for selling off BLM lands — the very lands he’ll be responsible for stewarding — to bring down the federal deficit.

Senator Mike Lee renews his sell-off effort under the guise of immigration enforcement. The Border Lands Conservation Act would transfer authority of more than 3 million acres of wilderness in the Lower 48, and more than 6 million acres of wilderness in Alaska, to the Department of Homeland Security. 

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) begins the process of repealing the landmark Public Lands Rule, a move that would weaken safeguards and open the door to privatization. The rule enshrined the BLM’s multiple-use mandate by making clear that conservation, public access, cultural resources, wildlife habitat, and climate resilience are just as important as drilling, mining, and other private uses of public land.

The Trump administration announces its intent to repeal the "Fluid Mineral Leases and Leasing Process" Rule— better known as the Oil and Gas Rule. This rule put in place long-overdue reforms to ensure taxpayers receive a fair return when private companies lease public land to extract and sell oil and gas for profit.

Congress passes the “Big Beautiful Bill.” After public pressure, the provision to sell off public lands was removed. However, the bill still contains measures that give oil and gas companies free reign to lease more than 200 million acres of public lands, without public input. The American Petroleum Institute offered this quote: “This historic legislation will help usher in a new era of energy dominance by unlocking opportunities for investment, opening lease sales and expanding access to oil and natural gas development.”

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee proposes adding the sale of up to 3 million acres of public lands to the budget reconciliation bill making its way through Congress. After widespread public outcry, the plan’s architect — Senator Mike Lee of Utah — removed it from the bill.

The House Natural Resources Committee votes to sell off more than 500,000 acres of public lands in a late-night amendment to reconciliation legislation. After widespread public outcry and leadership from the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus — including Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse — sell-off was stripped from the bill.

In response to the president’s “national energy emergency,” the Department of the Interior adopts “alternative arrangements” for complying with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Under the new procedures, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has just 14 days to complete environmental assessments — with no opportunity for the public to weigh in. For projects likely to have significant environmental impacts, the BLM has only 28 days to prepare an environmental impact statement, followed by a mere 10-day public comment period.

Interior Secretary Doug Bergum and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner suggest that “much of” the nation’s public lands are “suitable for residential use.” This comes as the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) simultaneously dismantles the very agencies and resources needed to address access to affordable housing.

The Trump administration guts federal land management agencies, undermining their capacity to effectively manage our public lands and setting the stage to justify their privatization. Some 2,300 employees are fired at the Department of the Interior and 3,400 Forest Service employees are fired at the Department of Agriculture. Their futures remain uncertain as the firings move through the courts.

Despite U.S. oil and gas production reaching all-time highs, President Donald Trump declares a “national energy emergency” just hours after starting his second term in a bid to boost fossil fuel extraction on public lands.

During his confirmation hearing, Interior Secretary Doug Bergum calls for the development of public lands to pay down the national debt. “If we were a company, they would look at us and say, ‘Wow, you are really restricting your balance sheet,” Bergum says. “You know what those assets are worth?’”

Utah files a lawsuit to seize control of 18.5 million acres of public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case, but we fully expect Utah’s legal attacks to continue—now with new allies in the Trump administration.