Recent orders issued by the Secretary of the Department of the Interior pose a serious threat to America's public lands. These actions elevate drilling and mining activities as the favored uses of our public lands. They walk back common-sense nonpartisan reforms that protect wildlife and public access for outdoor recreation including hunting and fishing, while putting the cost burden of clean-up on the shoulders of American taxpayers.

The secretarial orders specifically target regulations that have helped balance conservation with responsible development, including the Bureau of Land Management’s Public Lands and Renewable Energy Rules. These regulations reflect years of careful work to balance the values of wildlife, cultural sites, and outdoor recreation spaces with other land uses including grazing, mining, oil and gas extraction, and renewable energy development.

“America’s public lands — including our national monuments, wilderness areas, and other treasured places — are vital to our way of life,” says Michael Cravens, Advocacy and Conservation Director of the Arizona Wildlife Federation, “These recent orders prioritize extraction over conservation and access while sidestepping the public’s right to have a say in how our lands are managed.”

A particularly concerning provision calls for a 15-day review of all public lands including national monuments, wilderness areas, and wildlife refuges, which could open up these areas for extraction without public input. This expedited process ignores years of detailed agency analysis and public review, including thoughtful discussion and debate, and explicitly seeks to undo the vital protections put in place by those public processes to safeguard America’s unique lands and wildlife.

“A central part of the American identity is our public land. People want to see these places managed responsibly so they can continue to enjoy them and see their children and their grandchildren explore them,” Cravens says, “We hope Secretary Burgum will reconsider his approach and listen to the public who depend on these lands for their livelihoods and outdoor traditions.”