This week’s Wild Line looks at two House attempts to undo conservation safeguards in Alaska, a pair of Hill hearings with major implications for public lands, and new Endangered Species Act proposals that would weaken protections for vulnerable species. We also track funding efforts for wildlife crossings, agency staffing turmoil, and a proposed rule that would remove protections for most of the country’s wetlands.

House Votes Roll Back Protections in Alaska

The House moved on two separate votes to overturn major conservation safeguards in Alaska. The first would lift protections that restrict oil leasing and surface development across 1.5 million acres of the Western Arctic, land that is critical for caribou calving and migratory birds. It would also roll back special protections for the Colville and Utukok Rivers. The Senate approved this action last week.

The second House vote, not yet considered by the Senate, targets the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It would create uncertainty for future lease sales on the Refuge’s coastal plain, 1.6 million acres of irreplaceable wilderness. The measure would overturn a Biden-era action that was meant to correct significant flaws in the Trump Administration’s leasing plan.

Senate and House Hold High-Profile Hearings

Two key committees held major hearings this week, each with big implications for how public lands are managed. In the Senate, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources dug into how BLM’s planning process under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act shapes decisions on permitting for energy development, mining, grazing, and infrastructure. Senators pressed the agency on balancing competing demands across millions of acres.

On the House side, the Committee on Natural Resources considered the SPEED Act. We spoke with Liz Zepeda, Federal Regulatory Director at the Southern Environmental Law Center, who explained how the bill would narrow environmental review, expand categorical exclusions, limit public notice, and weaken the ability to hold agencies accountable

She told us:

“It greatly limits the scope of projects that would even trigger environmental review. It expands categorical exclusions, hides them from the public, and exempts huge federally funded projects from NEPA. It weakens the only real check on agencies by tying judges’ hands and making it harder to hold anyone accountable.”

Zepeda also described the bill’s implications for public lands:

“It prevents agencies from considering long-term or cumulative impacts, including climate. It blocks the use of new information that comes in after a review starts. It continues a pattern of limiting public notice and would remove one of the most important chances the public has to comment or understand what is happening.”

Bipartisan Wildlife Crossings Bill Introduced

A new bill, the Wildlife Road Crossings Program Reauthorization Act, would make permanent a pilot program first created under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The program funds wildlife overpasses and underpasses through the Federal Highway Administration to reduce collisions and reconnect migration routes.

The bill is sponsored by Montana Republican Ryan Zinke and Virginia Democrat Don Beyer and would authorize funding through 2031.

Public Lands Caucus Backs the Public Lands in Public Hands Act

The newly formed Public Lands Caucus endorsed the Public Lands in Public Hands Act, introduced earlier this year by Representative Zinke. The bill is aimed at reinforcing federal ownership and ensuring public lands remain in public hands.

New Member Joins the House Natural Resources Committee

Arizona Representative Adelita Grijalva has joined the House Natural Resources Committee. She was elected in a special election to fill the seat previously held by her father, former Chairman Raul Grijalva. She described the appointment as an honor and highlighted resource protection and tribal sovereignty as her top priorities.

Administration Releases New ESA Proposed Rules

The Trump Administration released four new proposed rules altering how the Endangered Species Act is implemented. These proposals reverse Biden-era regulations and would make it harder to list species as threatened or endangered, weaken critical habitat designations, and narrow the scope of federal consultation.

Jane Davenport, Senior Attorney for Defenders of Wildlife, explained why the implementing regulations matter:

“The implementing regulations are the roadmap. Congress sets the criteria for listing species, but the regulations explain how we list them, how we designate critical habitat, and how we make sure federal actions do not jeopardize a species’ survival or recovery.”

She warned that the proposals are short-sighted:

“These regulations are short-sighted. There may be short-term gains for a few, but there will be long-term pain for many. Healthy whales support healthy oceans, and healthy oceans support fisheries. These rules undermine public lands and wildlife to serve drilling and mining interests. This is not what we asked for. This is not what we voted for.”

Administration Proposes a New Waters of the United States Rule

The administration proposed a new Clean Water Act rule that would remove federal protection from more than 80 percent of the wetlands in the country. Only wetlands that contain surface water throughout the wet season and directly touch a waterbody that also flows throughout the wet season would qualify. The rule would open floodplains and ecological hotspots to development, putting communities and ecosystems at greater risk as flooding intensifies.

EPA Staff Losses Mount, Park Service Launches Hiring Push

According to figures shared with Politico, nearly one fifth of the Environmental Protection Agency’s workforce, more than 2,600 employees, have taken the deferred resignation offer offered multiple times this year. With sustained budget cuts and continued losses, conservationists and former staff warn that the agency’s capacity is being severely undermined.

Meanwhile, the National Park Service announced a seventy thousand dollar hiring bonus for up to five hundred experienced law enforcement recruits. About three hundred of those hires would be placed in Washington, DC, New York City, and San Francisco. The agency said the effort is meant to help protect resources, support park communities, and ensure millions of visitors can enjoy national parks safely.

Upcoming Congressional Action

Before we sign off, we want to look forward to December 2nd, when the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resoucres has announced they’ll hear the Roadless Area Conservation Act – legislation that would codify the Roadless Rule currently under threat by the Trump Administration. That hearing will also include a number of wilderness bills, including: Sarvis Creek Wilderness Completion Act (HR. 2734), Oregon Recreation Enhancement Act (S. 888), CORE Act (S. 764), and Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (S. 1737). 

Next Week

Join us Tuesday, November 25 for a collection of stories about outdoor traditions, the people we share them with, and the gratitude they spark.

The Wild Line returns Friday, December 5, with the latest conservation news.

Until then, act up and run wild.

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