Politicians Want To Take Your Public Lands

Lone Butte, Little Missouri National Grasslands (your public land)

If I were to ask you, what do public lands mean to you, how would you respond? I would assume that for a vast majority of people, especially those that do not reside in North Dakota, the first destinations that will come to mind are Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, or any one of the other 63 National Parks. These locations are popular tourist and vacation destinations for people both domestic and foreign. Many would consider these places to be the crown jewel of the United States, and the envy of the world. I can’t disagree, but as much as I enjoy these popular destinations, they are certainly not my first choice. My first choice would be public lands that are not inundated with traffic, congestion from crowds, or waiting in long lines at admission gates. When I think about my favorite public lands, I don’t even have to leave North Dakota.

Turkey season is upon us, and I can hardly wait to venture out into the North Dakota National Grasslands. Leaving the vehicle behind and trekking on foot into the vast hills and buttes of the shortgrass prairie, trying not to step on pasque flowers as I navigate my way. Following the adrenaline boosting sounds of a gobbling tom turkey. North Dakota public lands are my crown jewel. It’s a place of quiet adventure, peace, and tranquility. A place to escape the bustling world and the people that inhabit it. But this year as I venture into the National Grasslands of North Dakota, I will struggle to subvert my inner trepidation about the future of our public lands. 

Back in January, as our former Governor Doug Burgum, sat in front of the U.S. Congress for his confirmation hearing to be the next Secretary of the Interior, he was asked about public lands in the United States. His response – “As a businessman, our public lands are an asset on a balance sheet that are being underutilized.” As many celebrated Doug Burgum’s appointment as Secretary of the Interior, his comments during the confirmation hearing made me feel uneasy. Would Doug Burgum sell out our public lands, or would he keep an open dialog with the American people? I tried to remain optimistic and hopeful, but it quickly became apparent that Burgum’s loyalties lie with industry, not the American people. Immediately after being sworn in, Burgum pledged that he would pursue an agenda, to “achieve Energy Dominance by developing our natural resources. We will treat our natural resources as national assets which are for the benefit of the American people. This is the beginning of a new chapter for the Department of the Interior.” 

Before even getting settled into his new office, Doug Burgum initiated a barrage of Secretary Orders to unleash American energy on our public lands. He immediately started taking actions to deregulate and maximize efficiency for achieving these goals. Taking measures to prevent public comment and environmental review. He instructed his staff to begin reviewing the possibility of altering national monuments to expand U.S. energy development, with an emphasis on oil drilling and coal mining, among other uses. He titled this directive “Unleashing American Energy.” 

On March 16th, Doug Burgum and Scott Turner (HUD Secretary) announced in a co-authored editorial in the Wall Street Journal, that they would be creating a Joint Task Force on Federal Land for Housing. Under this Task Force, 500 million acres of federal land was in the crosshairs for residential development. The plan under this new partnership was to take inventory of underused federal lands, transfer or lease them to states, and support the infrastructure required to make development viable. Doug Burgum attempted to soften the news, knowing he would receive backlash, by insisting that, “This isn’t a free-for-all to build on federal lands.” Burgum insisted he would be strategic in determining what federal lands to forfeit, while preserving our most beautiful lands. I don’t know about you, but I find it alarming that Doug Burgum gets to decide what lands to preserve, what lands are deemed underused, or what lands constitute to be “beautiful.”

Unfortunately, it’s not just Doug Burgum and the Department of the Interior that are rewriting history and the purpose for our public lands. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, under the leadership of Secretary Brooke Rollins, is in lock step with the DOI. On April 4th, Secretary Rollins issued a Secretarial Memo to establish an “Emergency Situation Determination” on 112,646,000 acres of National Forest Land to expand timber production by 25%. In the memo Secretary Rollins issued, she indicated that these orders were to assist the U.S. Forest Service in emergency actions to “reduce wildfire risk and save American lives.” However, she also indicated a directive to ensure American resources are utilized to strengthen the American timber industry, support rural economies, and expand partnerships. Rollins made a directive to unleash American Energy by directing the USDA Forest Service remove burdensome regulations and fast-track mineral leasing on Forest Service Lands to boost production of critical minerals. To prevent review processes, Rollins called for the removal of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Further up the food chain at our United States Congress, there is an urgent effort to pass a “Budget Reconciliation Bill.” U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham is the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee that composed the text of the 2025 Budget Resolution. This bill is multifaceted but has four main components; secure the border, revitalize the military, facilitate energy independence, and balance the budget. Within the text of this bill, the sale of public lands to help pay for a massive budget reduction is in the works. According to top Republicans, concepts under discussion include the sale of lands near Western cities or national parks to build housing developments. In addition, there is a menu of public lands for energy development. Our very own Senator John Hoeven and Senator Kevin Cramer are fully on board with this idea. Senator John Hoeven says, “There has been some general discussion. The federal government owns a lot of land. I think it’s a great idea. We are looking at different options for revenue raising.” Senator Kevin Cramer is also on record stating, “Some western states are enthusiastic about using federal lands for mining or timber development, they like the natural resource exploitation a little more than others.”

So therein lies the question, does DOI Secretary Doug Burgum, Senator John Hoeven, and Senator Kevin Cramer think North Dakota is one of the Western states on board with this natural resource exploitation? Are the North Dakota Badlands and National Grasslands part of the exploitation discussion? I would take the safe bet and say they are, because Montana Senator Ryan Zinke attempted to introduce a bipartisan amendment to the bill (H.R. 718) that would ban the sale of most public lands. North Dakota’s Senator John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer voted against the amendment, which went on to fail. 

As I write this, President Donald Trump has issued a series of executive orders to bolster the United States coal industry. In these executive orders, Trump directed the DOI and other federal agencies to identify coal resources on federal public lands, lift barriers to coal mining and prioritize coal leasing on U.S. lands.

It's time we stopped letting politicians decide how our public lands are to be used. Our public lands are a generational resource that provide recreational opportunities for all Americans, regardless of individual financial status. The value of these public lands is unique to everyone, providing value that far exceeds any monetary number. Once our public lands have been sold or developed, that’s it, they are gone forever. The only people that get any value from that are the individuals or corporations that are exploiting them. 

Contact Senator Hoeven, Senator Cramer, and Representative Fedorchak and tell them to keep our public lands as they were, multi-use and in public hands. Everything is happening fast, so don’t delay. 

ND Senator Cramer - (202) 224-2043

ND Senator Hoeven - (202) 224-2551

ND Representative Fedorchak - (202) 225-2611

Kerry Whipp – North Dakota Wildlife Federation President