Pulse of the Land - 1/20/2026
When Congress moves fast, the water still remembers.
“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community.” — Aldo Leopold
This Week’s Take
Public lands saw a tug-of-war this week. Deals were cut for drilling. A beloved wilderness faces a mining showdown. And clean energy is finding new ways to shrink its footprint. It’s messy, it’s important, and it’s all part of the American energy saga.
The State of Public Lands and Energy Relationship
January 20 - Boundary Waters mining ban under threat.
The Trump administration and Congress moved to overturn a 20-year ban on mining across 225,000 acres near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. If successful, Antofagasta’s Twin Metals copper-nickel project, one of North America’s largest untapped mineral reserves, could regain its leases.
It was presented to the House Rules Committee today. There could be a vote later this week. Go tell your representative.
Why this matters: Conservationists warn this unprecedented rollback would sacrifice America’s most-visited wilderness to pollution, all to benefit a foreign mining company. It sets a dangerous precedent of mining interests trumping public land protections.
January 13 - Oil leases sold as royalty rates slashed.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) auctioned 19 oil and gas parcels (4,116 acres) in Montana and North Dakota for over $8.6 million. This was the first sale under the new One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which lowered federal royalty rates from 16.67% back to 12.5% to spur more drilling on public lands.
Why this matters: Cheaper royalties make it easier for industry to drill on public lands boosting domestic energy but potentially locking in more fossil fuel extraction on shared lands. That raises concerns about habitat disruption and climate impacts as public lands bear the brunt of renewed oil and gas development.
January 8th - Leasing push meets lack of interest.
In Colorado, a BLM “replacement” auction reoffered 20,000+ acres of public lands for oil leasing, and not a single bid came in. Companies passed even at the rock-bottom price of $10/acre.
Why this matters: The flop underscores there’s no “energy emergency” requiring new leases on these lands. Many prime drilling spots are already tapped, and forcing sales of unwanted parcels wastes agency resources. It suggests some public lands at risk for leasing might be better kept for wildlife, recreation, or other uses if drillers aren’t interested.
Government Spotlight Public Lands
January 12 - New U.S. Wildland Fire Service formed.
The Department of the Interior officially launched the U.S. Wildland Fire Service to unify firefighting across its bureaus. All Interior wildfire personnel and resources (from BLM, National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife, etc.) will be consolidated under this new service, led by veteran fire chief Brian Fennessy. Congress declined to fund the new entity as a standalone effort.
Why this matters: With wildfires growing larger and more intense, this move aims to streamline wildfire response and coordination on public lands. A unified fire service should improve efficiency and better protect communities, infrastructure, and natural resources across millions of acres of federal land.
Clean Energy in the News
January 14 - FERC signals a tech-forward push on interconnection + reliability.
A FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) statement highlighted deploying automation/AI in interconnection studies and flagged tools like dynamic line rating sensors in wildfire risk mitigation discussions.
I will have a piece coming out January 31 about dynamic line rating sensors.
Why it matters: This is the unsexy path to land conservation: get more throughput from the grid we already have, connect cleaner projects faster, and avoid defaulting to “build new lines everywhere” as the only answer.
January 5th - Nuclear boost to cut land use and carbon.
The U.S. Energy Department announced a $2.7 billion investment in domestic uranium enrichment capacity to fuel a new wave of nuclear reactors. This supports President Trump’s push to quadruple U.S. nuclear energy capacity by 2050, from ~100 GW to 400 GW.
Why this matters: Expanding nuclear power could deliver huge amounts of carbon-free electricity with a minimal land footprint compared to other energy sources. A single nuclear plant generates gigawatts on a relatively small site, reducing the need for vast solar or wind installations on open land. Strengthening the nuclear fuel supply chain also improves energy security, all while potentially easing pressure to develop pristine public lands for energy in the future.
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.
Sources:
FERC - Energized for 2026
ColoradoPublic Radio - The US Wildland Fire Service has officially launched. Congress decided not to fund it
DOE - U.S. Department of Energy Awards $2.7 Billion to Restore American Uranium Enrichment
DOI - Interior to Launch U.S. Wildland Fire Service
Politico Pro - House deploys rule-killing law against Biden mining curbs
The Colorado Sun - Oil and gas companies leave nearly half of leases on Colorado public lands unsold at federal auctions
BLM - BLM oil and gas lease sales in Montana and North Dakota generate over $8.6 million in revenue