President Donald Trump's administration wants to sell public lands to states, tribes and local governments as part of a push to "decrease the size of the federal estate," according to a new five-year strategy released by the Interior Department.
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administration → want → Department
The agency said that selling federal property would allow the U.S. government to focus resources on "nationally significant" lands.
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government → say → lands
No specifics were provided regarding which areas might be offered, nor the exact scale or geography of prospective sales.
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areas → provide → sales
The proposal quickly drew criticism from several legislators, including Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana who served as Interior Secretary during Trump's first term.
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who → draw → term
The strategy also recommends targeted land exchanges and transfers to bolster domestic energy production, a core element of the administration's pro-fossil fuel agenda.
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strategy → recommend → agenda
It underlines the administration's belief that public grounds are economic assets to be utilized rather than set aside for conservation.
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grounds → underline → conservation
Controlling more than 750,000 square miles (1.9 million square kilometers) — an area larger than Texas and California combined — as well as massive subterranean mineral deposits, the Interior Department remains at the center of an enduring, decades-old debate regarding whether federal land ownership is excessive.
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ownership → control → debate
The majority of public lands lie in Western states, where high levels of government ownership shield territory from development but can also constrain economic growth.
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levels → lie → growth
Under the proposed framework, a share of the revenue from land sales would be returned to purchasers to support environmental conservation elsewhere, Interior officials said.
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officials → propose → conservation
However, it remains unclear whether Interior Secretary Doug Burgum can realize the administration’s objectives without legislative support from Congress.
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Burgum → remain → Congress
A statement from Zinke’s office noted that he "remains firmly opposed to the sale or transfer of public lands."
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he → note → lands
The statement added that he intends to vote against any related measures should they arise before he departs Congress at the close of this term.
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he → add → term
The leading Democrat on the Senate Natural Resources Committee likewise promised to resist any attempts to sell off or privatize federal territory.
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Democrat → lead → territory
"These lands belong to the American people, not private interests looking to cash in.
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lands → belong → people
Public lands belong in public hands," said Sen. Martin Heinrich, a New Mexico Democrat.
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Heinrich → belong → hands
Last year, several Western politicians attempted to divest large swathes of territory in Utah and Nevada, arguing it would raise capital and relieve urban expansion pressures.
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it → attempt → pressures
Among those initiatives, Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee proposed transferring over 2 million acres (8,000 square kilometers) to states or other stakeholders.
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Lee → propose → states
Those proposals ultimately collapsed amid opposition from both parties.
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proposals → collapse → parties
Laying out a framework for the Interior Department's operational goals from 2026 to 2030, the strategy document will not bind future presidential administrations.
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document → lay → administrations
The agency manages grazing, drilling, mining, public recreation, and other land uses that many state and local leaders desire to oversee directly.
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leaders → manage → that
The department encompasses the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
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department → encompass → Affairs
The strategic plan was previously revised four years ago during the administration of former Democratic President Joe Biden.
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plan → revise → Biden
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