Finding a Second Wind in a Polluted Sky

On April 16, the U.S. Senate voted 50-49 in support of House Joint Resolution 140 (H.J. Res. 140), intending to nullify Public Land Order 7917, which protects 225,504 acres of federal lands from mining and geothermal projects in northern Minnesota. On April 27, the White House signed H.J. Res 140 into law. The manner in which this resolution was allowed to pass through Congress is unprecedented, as Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) stated to the Senate before the vote was passed: 

"[F]or the first time, the Congressional Review Act (CRA) is being used to rescind a Public Land Order … Public Land Orders have never been considered rules under the CRA and have never been submitted to Congress’s rules … The CRA could even threaten the protected status of the Grand Canyon."

The Congressional Review Act, as stated in its overview, is a tool Congress can use to overturn certain federal agency actions with the broadest definition of “rule” accepted under the Administrative Procedures Act. It has previously only been used 20 times, with 16 of those under President Donald Trump’s first term in office. This highly specific effort that Rep. Pete Stauber (R-Minn.) led creates a dangerous new precedent that all citizens must be aware of as a new threat to the natural beauty and splendor of their state’s national parks, especially with the previous efforts Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) attempted with his rider to the One Big Beautiful Bill that would have devastated 11 states. I argue that this effort was done with a focus, in large part, from the Heritage Foundation’s direction.

Riley, a national parks enthusiast who visited over 250 sites, on her website, “The Parks Expert,” alphabetizes and maps all 400+ National Park Service (NPS) sites in the U.S. in an incredible show of passion, with a range of 424 to 433 (the current official number) as the total count, deviating +/- 5 throughout the years of edits. However, on page 520 of The Heritage Foundation’s “Mandate for Leadership,” they state the NPS “maintains and manages 401 natural, cultural, and recreational sites”, a significant difference compared to Riley’s list and the list from the NPS itself. Examining the Department of Interior’s budget for Fiscal Year 2024 gives a different answer; on page 646, they state they operate 424 units, which aligns with Riley. I find this to be a concern since The Heritage Foundation specified on page 523 to “Abandon withdrawals of lands from leasing in … the Boundary Waters area” and included national parks in Colorado and New Mexico to have protections against oil and gas leases removed, meaning this is not the only effort that will be made to impact protected lands. While these individual events are devastating to hunters, fisherman, paddlers, and all who enjoy the outdoors, it is clear they are not done in isolation and will build momentum off one another to achieve President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy for energy dominance, while enriching multinational conglomerates like Antofagasta PLC, the parent company of Twin Metals who have mining leases in the Boundary Waters — who in turn have supported the Trump family as landlords to Ivanka Trump’s mansion in Chile.

This will be an ongoing circumstance that will attempt to reshape the nation through the dismantling of National Parks and Public Lands. It will not cease simply because America is involved in another war overseas, or that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers are circumventing the Freedom of Information Act process with personal Meta Smart Glasses, and especially not because we all have finals coming up. I know how difficult it feels to manage all these major circumstances impacting our lives in various ways, and that’s why it is more important than ever to become involved in community efforts. You don’t have to manage these developments alone, you don’t have to be alone when navigating Congress.gov to see what Congress is implementing, and you don’t have to go it alone to try to parse through policy recommendations from other think tanks like RAND, CATO Institute, Brookings, Manhattan Institute, Center for Strategic and International Studies, America First Policy Institute, and countless others. Connecting and building community to support one another offers a second wind to not lose motivation in the face of persistent devastation. It is a hope for clearer skies, knowing that there is so much beauty in the world beyond the clouds.

I urge you all to consider the efforts members of Congress, federal departments, and the administration are taking to reduce our capacity to be stewards of the land and to diminish our opinion on major projects via public input, and most importantly, to enjoy these beautiful parks in the U.S. I encourage you to discover groups of passionate members of your community, like Save The Boundary Waters for Midwesterners, that want to ensure the next generation can enjoy the beauty of the earth. Learn about national organizations, like the National Parks Conservation Association, that can offer an introduction to some of the current issues at a larger scale. I will make one important caveat: It is imperative you guard against Domestic Violent Extremists — a term created by the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI during the Stop Cop City protests in Atlanta, Ga. — and other threat groups that attempt to interject themselves into movements to find like-minded people and turn them into scapegoats. There is going to be more we all will need to stay aware of, so we must strive to inform and uplift one another, not tear down or disparage, so those that come after us can have the most fulfilling life possible.