Pulse of the Land - 12/23/2025
A weekly brief for conservation and cleaner energy
This Week’s Take
Federal agencies and lawmakers spent the week tugging America’s public lands in opposite directions: loosening guardrails for fossil fuel development while communities, tribes, and courts pressed for transparency, accountability, and cleaner infrastructure. The through-line is clear: who gets to decide, how fast, and with what safeguards.
From oil and gas bonding rules to pipeline reviews under major waterways, to the grid buildout needed for clean energy.
The State of Public Lands and Energy Relationship
December 22 — Interior Department pauses five offshore wind leases “effective immediately.”
The Department of the Interior announced it is pausing leases for large-scale offshore wind projects currently under construction, citing national security risks (under the claim that wind projects cause disturbance to radar systems) and planned work with the Department of Defense and other agencies to assess mitigation options.
Why it matters: Offshore waters are public waters. Hitting the brakes mid-build injects major uncertainty into permitting and finance, and signals that “approved” doesn’t mean “safe from reversal,” even after years of review.
December 19 — New Federal Leasing Moves in Colorado and Wyoming.
The Bureau of Land Management announced an additional January 2026 oil and gas lease sale in Colorado and opened a public comment period for a June 2026 Wyoming lease sale plan covering more than 120,000 acres.
Why it matters: Leasing is the first domino. Once parcels are leased, public lands management shifts from “whether” to “how,” with long-term impacts on wildlife corridors, air quality, and reclamation liabilities.
December 19 — Bureau of Land Management extends enforcement deadlines for oil and gas lease rules.
The Bureau of Land Management extended deadlines tied to statewide oil and gas bond requirements and gave operators more time on certain flaring measurement and leak detection program requirements.
Why it matters: Weakening or delaying financial assurance and waste-prevention guardrails reduces near-term pressure to prevent pollution and to fully cover cleanup costs, risking more unpaid liabilities and degraded habitat on public lands.
December 17 — Montana officials celebrate reopening the door to federal coal leasing in eastern Montana.
State and federal officials in Montana praised actions reversing a Biden-era planning amendment that had restricted future coal leasing tied to the Powder River Basin region’s federal coal footprint.
Why it matters: Coal leasing on public lands locks in long-lived industrial impacts. Fragmentation, water risk, and reclamation burdens, while pulling public-land management away from climate-resilient stewardship.
Government Spotlight Public Lands
December 18 — Lawsuit Challenges Removal of Public Comment in Public Lands Environmental Reviews
The Center for Biological Diversity and the Sierra Club sued federal agencies, arguing the administration unlawfully removed public comment opportunities from National Environmental Policy Act reviews for activities like drilling, mining, logging, and construction on public lands.
Why it matters: Public comment is one of the few pressure valves the public has before landscapes are industrialized. Weakening it concentrates decision-making power and increases the odds of irreversible damage slipping through.
December 18 — Senate amendment raises alarms about transferring national parks and other public lands.
Senator Mike Lee of Utah proposed an amendment to that would have gotten rid of Section 130, a clause meant to confirm that national parks and certail protected public land remains federal lands managed by the federal government.
Why it matters: After quick backlash, Lee’s amendment was withdrawn. Once disposal is normalized, land protection becomes negotiable turning shared, irreplaceable places into bargaining chips for short-term political wins.
December 18 — New California Public Lands Package Introduced to Expand Wilderness and River Protections
Senator Alex Padilla announced legislation to protect and restore more than 1.7 million acres of California public lands, including major additions of wilderness and wild-and-scenic river designations, plus restoration and fire resilience work.
Why it matters: This is the counterweight to the “sell/lease more” agenda: permanent protections that safeguard habitat, water, and climate resilience and make it harder to trade away ecosystems for short-term energy gains.
Clean Energy in the News
December 19 — Bureau of Land Management and United States Forest Service approve the Cross-Tie transmission project.
Agencies issued records of decision authorizing a right-of-way for the Cross-Tie 500-kilovolt transmission line.
Why it matters: Transmission is the make-or-break link for scaling renewables. It also slices through habitat. The conservation outcome depends on routing, mitigation, and long-term right-of-way management, not just a yes-or-no approval.
December 17 — Trump administration advances a federal-land solar project after months of slowdown.
The administration approved amendments to Libra Solar—one of the first signs of movement after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum required personal sign-off for wind and solar permits.
Why it matters: This highlights the new bottleneck: clean energy on public lands can proceed, but only through a politicized choke point—creating uncertainty for projects meant to reduce emissions and ease grid strain.
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:
The Salt Late Tribune - Mike Lee reverses course on controversial national park proposal, but conservation groups say concerns still remain
US DOI - The Trump Administration Protects U.S. National Security by Pausing Offshore Wind Leases
US BLM - BLM and Forest Service approve Cross-Tie transmission project
US BLM - BLM extends regulatory deadlines for oil and gas leases
Reuters - Trump administration advances solar energy project for first time in months
Reuters - US House passes bill to speed permitting for big energy projects
Daily Montana - Montana officials praise rollback of Biden-era coal leasing moratorium
Padilla Senate - Padilla Introduces Bill to Protect and Restore Over 1.7 Million Acres of California Public Lands
Outdoor Alliance - Senate Amendment Could Open the Door to Transferring National Parks