Public Lands

Steve Pearce, a former Republican congressman from New Mexico, would next need to clear a vote in the full Senate in the coming weeks to be confirmed.

Steve Pearce, Trump's pick to lead the Bureau of Land Management, said he would not propose large-scale sales of public lands.

The 16th annual "Conservation in the West" poll by Colorado College revealed that voters across the political spectrum are concerned by the Trump administration's cuts to public land management.

Last year, lawmakers turned to the Congressional Review Act to overturn Biden-era resources plans. Now, the tool is being looked at to unwind other public lands management actions.

Scott Fitzwilliams took early retirement in 2025 after more than three decades with the U.S. Forest Service. He says the Trump administration's public lands policies amount to a deliberate dismantling of the system.

The Trump administration spent much of the year rolling back environmental regulations, stripping protections for public lands, and working to limit the development of green energy while bolstering fossil fuels.

National parks and other popular destinations on public lands are still open with little to no staff. Advocates don't want the public to forget that it's the federal government's responsibility to protect and maintain these areas.

The Public Lands Rule allowed conservation to be managed as part of BLM's multiple-use mandate, along with other uses like mining and grazing. The Trump administration now says that rule doesn't pass muster.

Pitkin County's move to change the zoning of most federal land within its boundaries won't affect how the land is used today but is intended to limit development there if it's ever transferred to private ownership.

Public lands could be designated “Resource Government” zoning to prevent development should the land sell to private owners.