Pulse of the Land - 10/13/2025
A weekly brief for conservation and cleaner energy
Key Takeaways This Week
Coal leases draws little interest
Resource Management Plan Rollback
Ambler Road is back
The State of Public Lands and Energy Relationship
Coal leasing stumbles
In Montana’s Powder River Basin, the only bid was $186,000 for 167.5M tons (~0.1¢/ton); Interior then postponed a Wyoming sale (~365M tons)
Mega-solar on BLM lands
canceled or just re-scoped? BLM ended the programmatic review for Nevada’s Esmeralda 7 (≈6.2 GW across ~62k acres); multiple outlets called it a cancellation, while local reporting notes BLM may evaluate seven individual projects instead.
Resource Management Plan rollbacks set up broader leasing shifts
The pending CRA (Congress Review Act) repeals would reopen areas in AK/MT/ND to new fossil and mineral development and unwind late-Biden planning limits.
Because Biden finalized these plans late, they fell inside the CRA window. Under the Congressional Review Act, Congress can void late-term rules with a simple-majority joint resolution. If the president signs (or a veto is overridden), the rule is nullified and the agency is barred from issuing a “substantially similar” rule without new congressional authorization.
The big issue here is Congress taking the power of land manager. This is unprecedented.
Government Spotlight Public Lands
Ambler Road approved (Alaska)
Trump ordered agencies to reissue permits for the 211-mile road crossing federal lands and a slice of Gates of the Arctic NP to reach copper/cobalt/zinc prospects; tribes and conservation groups vow to fight.
Texas eyes a 54,000-acre new state park
TPWD is moving to buy Silver Lake Ranch (Hill Country) using the $1B Centennial Parks Fund; public comment runs to Nov 5, commission vote Nov 6.
Clean Energy in the News
DOE cuts & a leaked “hit list.”
Reporting shows DOE is floating cancellations across hundreds of clean-energy grants (hydrogen hubs, DAC, more), following last week’s DOE notice of broader award terminations; industry braces for impacts.
EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration): record U.S. power demand ahead.
New STEO (Short-Term Energy Outlook) projects all-time-high electricity use in 2025–26; renewables rise toward 26% of generation by 2026 while gas slips a bit.
What to Watch Next Week
Final White House action on the CRA RMP repeals and any immediate leasing/permits that follow.
Whether BLM rejects the Montana coal bid and when the Wyoming sale is rescheduled.
How BLM proceeds on Esmeralda 7 (individual NEPA tracks vs. full stop)
Thank you for reading! I highlight threats to public lands and the energy industry’s impact. I believe clean energy is the future, and ALL energy projects should prioritize private land first to keep wild places wild. When energy extraction is needed on public lands all projects must restore the land after extraction. Public lands are unique and once lost, they’re gone forever.