Public Lands
Attack Tracker
Tracking ATTACKS and IMPACTS to the 250 million acres of public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management
Public lands are under attack. The changes aren't always easy to follow — new rules, budget cuts, policy tweaks — but they add up to millions of acres destroyed, Indigenous culture and connection severed, public access blocked, and more industrial development on land that belongs to all of us.
This Attack Tracker connects the dots. It shows how these individual attacks work together to:
- Weaken protections for public lands
- Shut Tribal Nations and local communities out of decisions
- Cut the staff and funding needed to manage these lands responsibly
- Open the door to more drilling, mining, and development
- Make it harder to protect these places for future generations
| Attack ↓ | Impact→ | Eliminates Tribal Engagement | Silences the Public | Strips Protections to Allow Destructive Uses | Privatizes or Leads to Privatizing Public Land | Locks Out Public Access | Defunds Stewardship or Restoration | Breaks Laws and Precedents | Results in Lasting Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Executive Order Reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monument | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Mandatory oil and gas development | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Undermining the Antiquities Act | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Repeal of the Public Lands Rule | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Sale & Disposal of Public Land for Private Industrial Use | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Weakening the Endangered Species Act | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Weakening Protections for Wilderness Areas | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Weakened National Environmental Policy Act | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||
| Eliminating requirements for OHVs to minimize harm to wildlife, wilderness, cultural resources | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Mandating oil and gas sales within the Special Areas of the Western Arctic | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
| Fast tracking mining permits | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
| Forced retirements and purging of Bureau of Land Management staff | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Current ATTACKS on Public Lands
Executive Order Reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monument
7 impacts
Undermining the Antiquities Act
7 impacts
Repeal of the Public Lands Rule
7 impacts
Sale & Disposal of Public Land for Private Industrial Use
6 impacts
Mandating Oil and Gas Sales Within the Special Areas of the Western Arctic
6 impacts
Mandatory Oil and Gas Development
5 confirmed impacts + 1 potential impact
Weakening Protections for Wilderness Areas
5 impacts
Eliminating Requirements for OHVs to Minimize Harm to Wildlife, Wilderness, Cultural Resources
5 impacts
Cumulative IMPACTS of the Attacks on Public Lands
1. Silences the Public
12 of 12 tracked threats
Policy actions that reduce or eliminate opportunities for the public to participate in decisions about public lands.
- Executive Order Reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monument
- Mandatory oil and gas development
- Undermining the Antiquities Act
- Repeal of the Public Lands Rule
- Sale & Disposal of Public Land for Private Industrial Use
- Weakening the Endangered Species Act
- Weakening Protections for Wilderness Areas
- Weakened National Environmental Policy Act
- Eliminating requirements for OHVs to minimize harm to wildlife, wilderness, cultural resources
- Mandating oil and gas sales within the Special Areas of the Western Arctic
- Fast tracking mining permits
- Forced retirements and purging of Bureau of Land Management staff
2. Results in Lasting Damage
11 of 12 tracked threats
Policy actions that can create long-term consequences for public lands that may be difficult or impossible to reverse.
- Executive Order Reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monument
- Mandatory oil and gas development
- Undermining the Antiquities Act
- Repeal of the Public Lands Rule
- Sale & Disposal of Public Land for Private Industrial Use
- Weakening the Endangered Species Act
- Weakened National Environmental Policy Act
- Eliminating requirements for OHVs to minimize harm to wildlife, wilderness, cultural resources
- Mandating oil and gas sales within the Special Areas of the Western Arctic
- Fast tracking mining permits
- Forced retirements and purging of Bureau of Land Management staff
3. Locks Out Public Access
10 of 12 tracked threats
Policy actions connected to reduced public access to lands that belong to everyone.
- Executive Order Reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monument
- Mandatory oil and gas development
- Undermining the Antiquities Act
- Repeal of the Public Lands Rule
- Sale & Disposal of Public Land for Private Industrial Use
- Weakening Protections for Wilderness Areas
- Weakened National Environmental Policy Act
- Eliminating requirements for OHVs to minimize harm to wildlife, wilderness, cultural resources
- Mandating oil and gas sales within the Special Areas of the Western Arctic
- Fast tracking mining permits
4. Eliminates Tribal Engagement
9 of 12 tracked threats*
Policy actions connected to reducing or eliminating Tribal engagement in decisions affecting public lands.
- Executive Order Reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monument
- Mandatory oil and gas development*
- Undermining the Antiquities Act
- Repeal of the Public Lands Rule
- Sale & Disposal of Public Land for Private Industrial Use
- Weakening Protections for Wilderness Areas
- Eliminating requirements for OHVs to minimize harm to wildlife, wilderness, cultural resources
- Mandating oil and gas sales within the Special Areas of the Western Arctic
- Forced retirements and purging of Bureau of Land Management staff
5. Strips Protections to Allow Destructive Uses
8 of 12 tracked threats
Policy actions connected to weakening or removing protections for public lands.
- Executive Order Reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monument
- Undermining the Antiquities Act
- Repeal of the Public Lands Rule
- Weakening the Endangered Species Act
- Weakening Protections for Wilderness Areas
- Weakened National Environmental Policy Act
- Eliminating requirements for OHVs to minimize harm to wildlife, wilderness, cultural resources
- Forced retirements and purging of Bureau of Land Management staff
6. Defunds Stewardship or Restoration
7 of 12 tracked threats
Policy actions connected to reducing the resources needed to manage, protect, or restore public lands.
- Executive Order Reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monument
- Mandatory oil and gas development
- Undermining the Antiquities Act
- Repeal of the Public Lands Rule
- Sale & Disposal of Public Land for Private Industrial Use
- Weakening Protections for Wilderness Areas
- Forced retirements and purging of Bureau of Land Management staff
7. Breaks Laws and Precedents
6 of 12 tracked threats
Policy actions connected to undermining established laws, protections, or precedents governing public lands.
- Executive Order Reducing Bears Ears and Grand Staircase National Monument
- Undermining the Antiquities Act
- Repeal of the Public Lands Rule
- Weakening the Endangered Species Act
- Mandating oil and gas sales within the Special Areas of the Western Arctic
- Fast tracking mining permits
8. Privatizes or Leads to Privatizing Public Land
4 of 12 tracked threats
Policy actions connected to transferring public lands, resources, or their benefits toward private ownership or control.
- Mandatory oil and gas development
- Sale & Disposal of Public Land for Private Industrial Use
- Mandating oil and gas sales within the Special Areas of the Western Arctic
- Fast tracking mining permits
Public Opinion
Most Americans Don't Want This.
Poll after poll shows strong, bipartisan support for keeping public lands public:
70%
| Segment | Value | Percentage |
|---|
70% of Western voters across party lines oppose fast-tracking oil, gas and mining projects on national public lands by reducing environmental reviews and local public input.
70%
| Segment | Value | Percentage |
|---|
76% of Western voters—more Western voters than ever before—want their Congress members to prioritize conservation and recreation on public lands over maximizing energy production.
70%
| Segment | Value | Percentage |
|---|
71% of Americans polled oppose the sale of federal public lands that support hunting, fishing, hiking, and other recreational uses.
The public still has a voice and must use it.
Each of us has the right to hold our elected officials accountable to protecting public lands.
TELL YOURS TODAY!
