Pulse of the Land - 9/15/2025
A weekly brief for conservation and cleaner energy
Key Takeaways This Week
Plans to scrap the Public Land Rule intensify
Congressional Overreach - RMP rollback
Ambler Road project is getting new life
Geothermal leases in Idaho
Government Spotlight
Interior moves to scrap the Public Lands Rule
Department of Interior propsed rescinding BLM’s 2024 rule that put conservation on equal footing with extraction, kicking off a 60 day comment period. Expect a fight from parks and conservation groups and cheers from extractive industries. Public comment is important. Anyone can do this. Here is a link to comment directly on the proposal.
House passes measure to ease the Ambler Road
The House approved a bill aimed at clearing hurdles for the 211-mile mining access road across Alaska lands; Senate fate TBD
The Ambler Road is a proposed road from the Dalton Highway to Alaska’s Ambler Mining District to move mine equipment/ore. It would be closed to the public, cross state, Native corporation, BLM lands and a segment of Gates of the Arctic National Preserve. Currently not built. Federal approvals are in flux.
Ambler Road would disrupt +3,000 of stream crossings, and 11 major rivers impacting Alaska fish (salmon, whitefish, sheefish, etc.) and create habitat fragmentation for caribou corridors amoung all the smaller wildlife and birds as well.
House follow-through on BLM plan rollbacks (via Congressional Review Act (CRA)).
On September 3 the house approved 3 CRA resolutions targeting BLM plans for Miles City/PRB (MT), North Dakota (statewide), and Central Yukon (AK): H.J.Res. 104, 105, and 106. All three were received in the Senate on Sept 4.
This resolution would get rid of Resourse Management Plans (RMP) in these regions. These plans take years of science and research to plan for proper energy extraction and conservation. If they pass these rollbacks, BLM cannot reissue a “substantially the same” plan. Conservation and hunting groups are fighting back. Which leads to the question: Should Congress act as a land manager?
Want to learn more about the ecosystems affected. Here is a Habitat Brief I wrote and sending around to conservation and hunting groups.
The State of Public Lands
Coal Leasing Uptick
Falkirk Mine (ND): BLM awarded an ~800-acre federal coal lease (11.3M tons) for $79,996.
Coal — North Dakota (separate): BLM awarded a lease at the Freedom Mine (~1,070 acres; ~18.3M tons) for $106,292.
Skyline Mine (UT): BLM noticed a sealed-bid sale for ~120 acres / ~1.29M tons in the Little Eccles Tract.
Closures and Wildfire Impacts
Grand Canyon (AZ): North Rim remains closed for the rest of 2025 after the Dragon Bravo Fire; a firefighter died this week during post-fire repair work near the North Rim entrance.
North Cascades (WA): New lightning fires detected; area, trail, and camp closures around Ross Lake continue while crews work the Perry Fire.
Sierra National Forest (CA): McKinley Grove’s ancient sequoias largely survived the 56,700-acre Garnet Fire; mop-up of embers is ongoing
Clean Energy Projects in the News
Geothermal wins in Idaho
Competitive lease sale on 9 parcels / 24,355 acres pulled $4.44M total receipts; 22 bidders showed up. Next step: issuance after payment/review.
If the choice is geothermal vs. fossil on suitable sites, geothermal’s system-wide benefits (firm clean power with small direct footprints) usually outweigh localized impacts. Geothermal’s lifecycle emissions are far lower then fossil fuels.
What to Watch Next
If you oppose the proposed Public Lands Rule rescission. Comments are now open. Here’s the link.
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 eneregy 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.