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Stewarding our Land and Natural Resources

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Steward Public Lands

Public lands matter to people all across the country. They provide recreation and family memories. They are also key for wildlife habitat, clean water, and economic activity.

  • Establish stable, reliable funding for rural public lands and education.
  • Protect public lands and parkland and stop land sell-offs. End the giveaways that benefit fossil fuel companies at the public’s expense, and ensure a fair return for the use and development of public resources.1
    • The Biden Administration made significant progress in expanding renewable energy production on federal lands and requiring oil and gas companies to take responsibility for their cleanup.
    • The 2021-2022 Congress made renewable energy development on public lands and waters contingent upon continued oil and gas development. The 2025-2026 Congress chose to roll back incentives for renewable energy projects and make it much more expensive to develop a renewable energy project on public lands, likely resulting in higher energy bills for most rural Americans.
  • Support local and state governments that have public lands and provide consistent and sustainable funding.2
  • Ensure that companies that develop resources on public lands mitigate impacts and restore sites when their operations are complete, including by posting financial assurance that covers the full cost of reclamation.

Notes

  1. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act reduced royalty rates for federal coal, oil and gas, and set new leasing mandates that will lead to long-term harm and reduced revenue for federal, state and local governments.
  2. The Forest Management for Rural Stability Act creates a permanent endowment fund. It appropriates initial money for the fund and would be further funded by commercial revenue generated on national forests, Bureau of Land Management-administered land in Oregon and California, and Fish and Wildlife refuges. The bill would prevent underpayment or nonpayment of federal obligations to local governments through annual appropriations shortfalls, as well as preventing federal lands extraction due to county government shortfalls.