Public lands under fire as Trump takes office

True to promises, President Donald Trump assumed office with a series of actions that seek to radically upend and reshape the country—including by dismantling climate and conservation policies.

Late on Inauguration Day, the White House unveiled a set of executive orders that revoke dozens of orders issued by President Biden, terminate the American Climate Corps, move to lease and drill in the Arctic Refuge, take aim at renewable energy and more. Together, these orders seek to prioritize drilling and mining on our public lands above all else.

Each of these executive orders contains a flurry of individual actions and directives. It’s important to note that while these orders target many public lands conservation efforts, the vast majority do not immediately take effect but instead direct federal agencies to begin taking action.

In short, while President Trump indeed signed a laundry list that puts a target on our public lands, his officials are still beholden to follow the law and administrative processes to carry them out. This buys time for us—The Wilderness Society and supporters like you—to engage together to defend our communities, climate and environment from these threats.

The totality of these actions, and the agency efforts to undertake them, will take time to fully process—but based on initial analyses by the team at The Wilderness Society, below is an overview of what we believe these orders will do or seek to do.

• Mandate additional leasing to drill for oil in the Arctic Refuge, which was initially opened for leasing during Trump’s first presidency. Two recent failed lease sales that produced no major bids show that oil companies know drilling in the Refuge is a bad proposition—despite Trump’s insistence.
• Begin review of all public land mineral withdrawals announced by the Biden administration—including mining and drilling protections for landscapes like the Boundary Waters, Chaco Canyon and Thompson Divide.
• Expedite destructive mining—including of uranium—by reviewing “burdensome actions” taken by the Biden administration relating to the mining of so-called minerals.
• Once again attempt to roll back the roadless rule in the Tongass National Forest.
• Restart the failed Ambler Road project in Alaska, which would devastate the Brooks Range in Gates of the Arctic National Park and ultimately facilitate mining projects.
• Hamstring the NEPA process to sideline public input and expedite the unchallenged permitting of projects that are deemed “essential.”
• Terminate the American Climate Corps established by President Biden, which was set to create jobs fighting the climate crisis for thousands of young Americans.
• Strike several Biden administration actions and rules pertaining to Alaska and the Arctic, including management plans for the Western Arctic and Central Yukon.
• Rescind the Biden administration’s withdrawal of the Outer Continental Shelf from offshore drilling.
• Slow and halt the development of renewable energy, in particular wind energy offshore and on public lands.
• Revoke dozens of other executive orders issued by President Biden that sought to support conservation efforts and combat the climate crisis.

These actions send an unequivocal message about the administration’s priorities: to unleash destructive development on our environment no matter the cost to communities, wildlife and the climate. Taken alongside other distressing executive orders issued on Monday that target minority populations, immigrants and federal workers, President Trump and his administration are setting a grim tone inconsistent with his reiterated promises to bring “unity and prosperity” to the country.

In the words of our own Lydia Weiss, “That isn’t what most people want… Today’s actions are a dire threat to [our] common ground.” In that spirit, The Wilderness Society will continue to fight for the places and commonsense values that unite us all. We can’t do it without people like you—working together we can stand up for a future where all people and nature can flourish together in harmony.

Click here for a more detailed analysis of President Trump's executive orders.