Burgum Defends Park Closures, Public Lands Survive Reconciliation (for now)

This week on The Wild Line, Anders and Bill break down a big development in the ongoing budget reconciliation battle, and what it means for public lands.

House Reconciliation Bill: A Partial Win

After a rocky path through the House Budget and Rules Committees, the reconciliation bill moved forward—this time without some of the worst provisions we flagged last week. Thanks to pressure from thousands of advocates and organizations, the following were removed:

• Language that would have allowed over 500,000 acres of public lands to be sold to the highest bidder 
• Provisions undermining Resource Management Plans 
• Harmful clauses affecting Alaska’s Ambler Road and the NPR-A 

But it’s not all good news: the bill still contains pay-to-play language that could limit access to public lands for those without deep pockets. It now heads to the Senate with an uncertain fate.

Interior Secretary Testifies on “Skinny Budget”

Secretary Doug Burgum defended the Trump administration’s $5 billion cut to the Department of the Interior’s budget:

• Bipartisan frustration emerged over the lack of specifics and proposals to shift National Park Service management to states
• Burgum was also challenged on plans to eliminate $80M in renewable energy programs, falsely claiming they’re too expensive without subsidies
• Staffing cuts at Interior were defended as eliminating “redundant overhead”—a claim met with serious pushback 

House Democrats Sound the Alarm on Wildfire Cuts

A Natural Resources Committee forum spotlighted how slashing wildfire prevention programs puts communities at greater risk.
Featured panelist: Susan Jane Brown, who joined us last month to discuss the Forest Service’s future.

Georgia’s Wild Icons: Okefenokee and Ocmulgee

Senator Jon Ossoff pressed Burgum on the fate of two iconic Georgia landscapes:

• Burgum committed not to sell any part of the Okefenokee Swamp
• He pledged to learn more about the local, bipartisan effort to create Ocmulgee Mounds National Park and Preserve 

Two Big Wilderness Bills Reintroduced

• Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act
  Led by Senator Patty Murray & Rep. Emily Randall, this bill would protect 126,000+ acres in Washington’s Olympic National Forest and 464 miles of rivers. 
• Gunnison Outdoor Resources Protection Act (aka The GORP Act)
  Sponsored by Colorado Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper (with bipartisan House support), this bill would designate 120,000 acres of wilderness and nearly 500,000 acres of additional habitat protections.

Next Week on The Wild Idea:

Tuesday, May 27th, we talk with Ingrid Lyons, Executive Director of Save the Boundary Waters on the efforts to protect the headwaters of this incredible ecosystem from the very real threat of sulfide-ore copper mining. 

Thursday, May 29th, another *BONUS EPISODE* featuring Jon Jarvis, the former head of the National Park Service, unpacking what’s really behind the push to privatize America’s public lands.

Friday, May 30th, your weekly Wild Line – a no-BS rundown of what’s happening in Washington that impacts public lands, climate, and conservation. Fast, focused, and fiercely pro-wild.

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