Meet the 10 Worst Public Lands Villains—And the Damage They’re Doing Right Now

An in-depth introduction to the officials hell-bent on selling, drilling, and destroying America’s public lands.

If you’ve ever looked at a pristine national park and thought, “Wow, this place would be even better with an oil rig”—congratulations, you might qualify for a job in the 2025 U.S. government.

I’ve spent the last few months researching the politicians and officials working hardest to strip protections from our public lands, gut conservation laws, and hand over national forests, parks, and wilderness to industry. What I found was worse than I expected. Some of these people aren’t just rolling back protections—they’ve spent their entire careers trying to dismantle public lands—and now they’ve got the keys.

One of them has spent decades suing the agency she now runs, fighting to make sure every possible acre gets drilled. Another is a governor-turned-Interior Secretary whose loyalty to the oil industry is so deep, he probably dreams in crude prices. And then there’s the congressman so deep into conspiracies that he’s encouraging illegal uranium mining in the Grand Canyon. This isn’t just bad policy—it’s a full-scale, government-backed land grab.

These aren’t just politicians with bad environmental records. These are the worst of the worst—the people in power right now who are doing the most damage to public lands. That’s why I put together this list. It’s backed by months of research, a deep dive into their policies, and way too many hours spent translating bureaucratic jargon into something that makes sense.

Before we dive in, I want to take a second to say thank you. This past week, we hit 100 paying subscribers, which is huge for us. It means we can keep doing this work—tracking these land-grabbers, exposing their policies, and making sure their actions don’t fly under the radar. If you’re one of those 100 people, you’re the reason this kind of reporting is possible.

So, let’s get to it. Here’s our who’s who of public lands enemies—who they are, what they’ve already done, and how much damage they plan to do. Buckle up. It’s not pretty.

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The 10 Most Damaging Public Lands Villains of 2025

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10. Mike Dunleavy (Governor, Alaska) – “The Pipeline Peddler”

If it can be drilled, logged, or mined, Dunleavy is first in line to sign the permits.

Track Record:

Governor Mike Dunleavy has spent his career treating Alaska’s wildlands like a giant untapped resource extraction theme park. He’s been a fierce advocate for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and a relentless promoter of massive mining projects like the controversial Pebble Mine, which was blocked due to its catastrophic environmental risks. When federal regulators shut it down, Dunleavy’s administration actually sued to overturn the decision, as if poisoning salmon-rich waters and Indigenous lands were a state right. His governing philosophy is simple: if it promises oil, gas, or gold, he’s all in.

Currently Undermining Public Lands:

With Trump back in office, Dunleavy is positively giddy about the new executive orders opening Alaska’s lands to industry. “Happy days are here again,” he proclaimed, comparing Trump’s sweeping pro-drilling orders to “a gigantic sled of Christmas presents” for Alaska. And what’s under the tree? Trump’s Day-One executive actions reopened ANWR to oil leasing, revived the long-stalled Ambler Road project (which would carve a corridor through Gates of the Arctic National Park), and removed protections on 9 million acres of the Tongass National Forest, opening it to large-scale logging. Dunleavy couldn’t be happier—his wish list of rolled-back protections was practically gift-wrapped.

But he’s not stopping there. Dunleavy is also pushing the feds to hand over more public land to state control, allowing him to fast-track projects that would otherwise face environmental scrutiny (for now). His vision for Alaska’s future is clear-cut (forests that is), open-pit mines, and drilling rigs stretching from the Arctic coast to the Inside Passage. In his eyes, conservation isn’t a priority—it’s just an obstacle to be overcome with enough political pressure.

Likely Next 4 Years:

The next four years will likely be a bonanza for industry as Dunleavy doubles down on his push for resource extraction. Expect him to ramp up pressure on the federal government to approve Pebble Mine, despite overwhelming opposition from scientists, conservationists, and local communities. He sees a path forward now that Trump’s administration is back in charge, meaning the mine—and the devastation it would bring to Bristol Bay’s world-class salmon fishery—is back on the table.

Dunleavy will also champion massive new oil and gas pipelines, pushing for development in the Western Arctic Reserve and other sensitive landscapes once thought untouchable. Logging in the Tongass will accelerate, with Dunleavy cheering as ancient forests fall to chainsaws. He’ll continue advocating for state control over public lands, meaning fewer federal protections and more unchecked development across Alaska’s vast wilderness.

By 2029, Dunleavy hopes to have cemented his legacy as the governor who fully “unleashed” Alaska’s resources—even if it means permanently scarring some of the most pristine landscapes left in America. He already called these rollbacks “Christmas”, and nothing says holiday cheer quite like an oil pipeline under the tree.

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9. Harriet Hageman (Congresswoman, Wyoming) – “The Federal Land Forfeiter”

She doesn’t just oppose new public land protections—she wants to take the existing ones away.

Track Record:

Harriet Hageman built her career fighting federal land protections with the enthusiasm of a rancher trying to chase wolves off their range. A former land and water rights attorney, she’s spent years arguing that Washington already controls too much land and “doesn’t need any more.” She boasts of spending “countless hours in court” battling federal land management, railing that the government does a “terrible job” and should cede control to states or private owners. Translation: she wants Uncle Sam to hand over as much land as possible to local interests—hence, the Federal Land Forfeiter.

Hageman’s disdain for conservation runs deep. She has fought to block federal land acquisitions, prevent the designation of new wilderness areas, and strip away Endangered Species Act protections—all in the name of stopping so-called “land grabs”. She believes that public land is wasted unless it’s being drilled, grazed, or mined, and she’s determined to see less of it protected under federal oversight.

Currently Undermining Public Lands:

Now in Congress, Hageman is wasting no time in her crusade against federal land protections. She has reintroduced her signature legislative package designed to freeze the federal estate in place. One bill, the “No Net Gain in Federal Lands Act,” would bar the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) from acquiring any new land unless an equal amount is given back to state control—essentially halting future land protections in their tracks. She’s also actively working to roll back conservation programs that prioritize habitat and wildlife over grazing and mining.

Hageman is particularly focused on blocking the BLM’s new Wyoming resource management plans, which aim to set aside more land for conservation and limit excessive development. She dismisses these efforts as “federal land grabs” and is determined to stop them at all costs. Her agenda also includes stripping Yellowstone grizzly bears of their Endangered Species Act protections, calling their conservation status an example of “federal overreach.” In her view, if an acre of land or a species gets in the way of industry or ranchers, it’s the regulations that need to go—not the bulldozers.

Likely Next 4 Years:

Hageman isn’t subtle about her goals. With Republicans controlling Congress and Trump back in the White House, she has declared that “real change is within reach” to shrink Washington’s control over public lands. That means pushing for laws that freeze or reverse national monument designations, transfer management of federal lands to states, and—if she gets her way—possibly even sell off some federal land outright. She has floated ideas like requiring the government to auction off federal acreage to the highest bidder under the guise of “stopping federal overreach”.

Her ultimate dream is a West where Washington owns as little land as possible and where national parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas are subject to legislative attacks that could weaken or erase them. In her eyes, no acre of public land is more deserving of protection than another—and if industry or ranchers want it, they should probably get it.

By 2029, if Hageman has her way, the federal government’s hold over public lands will be weaker than ever, and the path to privatization will be wide open. The battle for America’s public lands is on—and Hageman is leading the charge to make the government forfeit as much as possible.

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8. Bruce Westerman (Congressman, Arkansas) – “The Logfather”

America’s forests aren’t national treasures—they’re just timber inventory waiting to be processed.

Track Record:

Bruce Westerman isn’t just a politician who supports logging—he’s a professional forester who made it his life’s work to ensure more trees hit the sawmill. As a longtime advocate for the timber industry, he has spent years trying to gut environmental laws in the name of “forest management.” He has repeatedly pushed bills to weaken the Endangered Species Act, slash NEPA environmental reviews, and override clean water protections—all obstacles, in his view, to getting the chainsaws humming at full speed. His previous legislative efforts, like the Resilient Federal Forests Act, were criticized as blatant giveaways to logging interests. As The Logfather, Westerman has always made sure the timber barons get an offer they can’t refuse.

Currently Undermining Public Lands:

Now, as chair of the powerful House Natural Resources Committee, Westerman has positioned himself as the ultimate kingpin of federal forestry policy. His latest pride and joy is the Fix Our Forests Act, a bill that would massively expand logging across millions of acres of public lands while pretending to be about wildfire prevention. The bill eliminates environmental reviews for timber projects, allowing the Forest Service to approve logging operations up to 10,000 acres without public oversight. It also suspends wildlife protections under the Endangered Species Act, meaning logging can continue even if it destroys critical habitat. Westerman sells this as “active forest management”, but experts warn it’s really about fast-tracking clear-cutting while doing little to actually stop wildfires.

Beyond legislation, Westerman is using his committee’s power to tear apart Biden-era land conservation rules. He’s rolling back policies that prioritize ecological restoration over raw extraction, making it clear that under his leadership, national forests are open for business. He’s also pushing to increase logging in roadless areas, despite the fact that these pristine forests act as vital carbon sinks and wildlife corridors. In Westerman’s mind, public lands aren’t places to be protected—they’re resources to be monetized.

Likely Next 4 Years:

If Westerman gets his way, the next four years will be a chainsaw bonanza. He will push to permanently weaken environmental laws that slow down logging, ensuring that federal forests are treated more like industrial tree farms than natural ecosystems. Expect logging quotas on national forests to skyrocket while environmental reviews shrink to near-nonexistence. His plan even limits courts from blocking illegal timber sales, meaning the public will have fewer tools to fight back against destructive projects.

Westerman also has his sights set on expanding logging into roadless areas nationwide. The Tongass National Forest in Alaska has already been partially opened to logging—he wants to take that model nationwide, carving roads into untouched wilderness with the excuse of “access.” His goal is to make intensive timber harvesting the default use of federal forests, while any efforts to preserve them are dismissed as radical environmentalism.

By 2029, if Westerman’s vision becomes reality, millions of acres of old-growth forests could be lost, replaced by patchwork landscapes of clear-cuts and logging roads. He may frame it all with folksy charm, but make no mistake—he intends to be the Don Corleone of federal forestry. And unless something stops him, America’s public forests might not be able to refuse his final offer.

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7. John Barrasso (Senator, Wyoming) – “The Fossil Fool”

If it burns, he’s for it. If it protects public lands, he’s against it.

Track Record:

John Barrasso has spent his career propping up fossil fuels like a coal baron in a dystopian novel. He has raged against climate regulations, cheered on oil and gas drilling, and tried to gut wildlife protections in the name of economic “balance” (read: letting industry do whatever it wants). Back in 2018, as chair of the Senate Environment Committee, he introduced a bill to “modernize” the Endangered Species Act—which, in reality, would have hollowed it out, making it easier to remove protections for at-risk species. He also fought efforts to protect old-growth forests, calling conservation efforts “radical” and insisting that we should be cutting more trees, not saving them. And, of course, he’s a longtime climate change downplayer, once dismissing efforts to curb carbon emissions by saying, “The climate is always changing.” If there’s an environmental safeguard in his way, Barrasso is the guy wielding the sledgehammer.

Currently Undermining Public Lands:

With Trump back in office, the Fossil Fool is unleashed. Barrasso is using his Senate power to help dismantle Biden-era conservation measures as quickly as possible. He led the charge to overturn the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) public lands rule, which put conservation on equal footing with development, calling it a direct threat to Wyoming’s fossil fuel economy. Translation: the idea that some public lands should remain untouched is unacceptable to Barrasso.

And it’s not just land protections—he’s working overtime to roll back climate policies, too. At a Senate hearing, Barrasso enthusiastically supported repealing Biden’s clean car standards and power plant rules, saying Trump’s team will “restore balance” at the EPA—which, in Barrasso-speak, means letting oil, coal, and gas run the show again. He’s backing Trump’s energy dominance agenda, supporting expanded drilling, scrapping methane pollution rules, and ensuring that public lands are as industry-friendly as possible. If Trump wants to shrink national monuments or slash wilderness protections, Barrasso is standing by with a pen, ready to co-sign the destruction.

Likely Next 4 Years:

Barrasso will likely spend the next four years trying to turn back the clock on conservation and climate action. He will push for a permanent rewrite of the Antiquities Act, making it nearly impossible for future presidents to protect large landscapes. He will revive his ESA “reforms” to weaken wildlife protections, making it easier to delist species and open critical habitats to drilling and mining. He will champion industry-friendly Trump appointees, ensuring that agencies like the EPA, Interior, and BLM are stacked with pro-fossil fuel cronies. He will block any attempts to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, likely pushing a bill to strip the EPA of its authority to regulate carbon at all. He will fight to keep the U.S. out of international climate agreements, ensuring America stays as fossil-fuel dependent as possible.

By 2029, Barrasso’s goal is clear: to erase a decade’s worth of conservation and climate protections while keeping Wyoming’s oil, gas, and coal interests thriving. He’ll call it “restoring balance.” The rest of us might call it lighting the planet on fire and tossing a match over his shoulder as he walks away.

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6. Paul Gosar (Congressman, Arizona) – “The Conspiracy Miner”

If there’s a public lands protection, he’s got a conspiracy theory to kill it.

Track Record:

Paul Gosar doesn’t just dabble in conspiracy theories—he lives in them. From QAnon-adjacent ramblings to bizarre climate denialism, he’s brought the same “facts-optional” energy to public lands. Case in point: he once claimed that uranium mining near the Grand Canyon would be good for the environment—a take so scientifically unhinged that experts dismissed it as “abjectly false”. (Reminder: uranium mining poisons groundwater, threatens wildlife, and risks radioactive contamination, but sure, Paul, totally safe.) Gosar’s crusade for Arizona’s mining industry has been relentless. He’s fought regulations on copper, uranium, and lithium mining, all while downplaying the well-documented contamination risks—insisting that today’s mining is perfectly clean and that concerns are “from the 40s” (they’re not). His guiding philosophy? If there’s money to be made, just dig, baby, dig.

Currently Undermining Public Lands:

Gosar is leading the charge to reverse recent public land protections—armed with bad science and even worse rhetoric. When Biden designated a new Grand Canyon National Monument to protect tribal heritage and block uranium mining, Gosar lost it. He called it “a radical eco-agenda land grab”, claimed it would destroy the economy, and even encouraged Arizonans to ignore the monument protections entirely—urging people to keep using the land “as if nothing has changed” and for mining companies to continue operations regardless of federal law. Yes, a sitting congressman essentially called for illegal mining in a protected area—because in Gosar’s mind, monument designations don’t count if he personally disagrees with them.

Meanwhile, Gosar is teaming up with House Republicans to dismantle environmental safeguards. He’s aggressively opposing a 20-year ban on uranium mining around the Grand Canyon, arguing that stopping toxic mining somehow harms national security. And true to his Conspiracy Miner moniker, he’s blending half-truths with wild speculation—insinuating that every conservation measure is secretly part of an anti-American, globalist plot.

Likely Next 4 Years:

Brace for Gosar to escalate his crusade against protected lands. He’s almost certainly plotting legislative riders to void the Grand Canyon monument and reopen the area to mining, and if courts disagree, expect him to default to claims of corruption and federal overreach. With a Trump-friendly administration, Gosar could have allies inside agencies like the Department of Energy or Interior, pushing them to undo uranium mining bans and rubber-stamp mining permits on other public lands.

But it won’t stop at uranium—Gosar will likely expand his mining push into national parks and wilderness areas under the guise of “critical minerals” extraction. And if conservationists fight back? Expect him to spin it as a foreign-backed plot to weaken America. Climate? Forget it—Gosar will keep denying it exists while working to block renewable energy projects on federal land, maybe even arguing that solar panels are part of a socialist scheme (yes, he’s gone there before).

By 2029, Gosar’s fantasy world could have real-world consequences—erased protections, new mining near iconic landscapes, and an even more radicalized anti-conservation movement. And through it all, he’ll still be digging—both for minerals, and for new conspiracies to explain why protecting public land is apparently a globalist plot.

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5. Mike Lee (Senator, Utah) – “The Antiquities Assassin”

If national monuments had wanted a future, they should have picked a different senator.

Track Record:

Mike Lee has been gunning for the Antiquities Act like it owes him money for years. He sees presidential monument designations—especially those in Utah—as tyrannical overreach, locking up lands that should be “free” (read: open for drilling, mining, and grazing). When President Obama created Bears Ears National Monument in 2016, Lee lost it—then begged Trump to repeal it, which he mostly did in 2017 until Biden reinstated it. He’s called the Antiquities Act “predatory,” accusing past presidents of bowing to radical environmentalists and has even floated abolishing the Act entirely. While he hasn’t succeeded, he’s tried every trick in the book to gut it, introducing bills that would require Congress (aka: him) to approve new national monuments. In short, he’s been plotting this takedown for years.

Currently Undermining Public Lands:

Now holding the gavel of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Lee is executing his long-awaited plans. His first major move in 2025? The “Ending Presidential Overreach on Public Lands Act”, which strips presidents of their power to create large national monuments, requiring Congress to approve or modify them instead. If passed, this would neuter the Antiquities Act, making future Bears Ears-style protections almost impossible. Lee justifies this as “reforming an outdated law”, but in reality, it’s a preemptive strike to stop any future president from protecting more land.

But Lee isn’t stopping at legislation. Trump’s Interior Secretary, Doug Burgum, has been tasked with “reviewing and revising” existing monuments—a coded way of saying shrink and dismantle. And guess who’s cheering him on? Expect Lee to coordinate with Utah’s delegation to push for state control over federal land—a longtime dream of his allies in the Sagebrush Rebellion. He’s already pushing for budget riders that block funding for managing certain monuments, a sneaky way of killing them without technically “revoking” them.

Likely Next 4 Years:

If Lee gets his way, the Antiquities Act will be a hollow shell by 2029. His congressional approval requirement would effectively end large-scale monument designations, forcing future presidents to beg Congress for permission to protect land—a process as likely to succeed as getting Lee to endorse solar energy. Meanwhile, existing monuments will be under siege. A second Trump term could see Bears Ears permanently shrunk, Grand Staircase-Escalante dismantled further, and possibly an attempt to revoke other monuments entirely—something no Congress has done in over a century, but Lee is eager to try.

And it’s not just monuments. Lee loathes the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which helps expand parks and public lands, so expect attacks on federal land acquisitions too. If he had his way, the only new national monument Utah would ever get would be the size of a postage stamp and named after a local businessman. But make no mistake: Lee isn’t joking about his endgame. He wants to leave a legacy of fewer protections, more development, and a nation where public lands are for industry, not preservation.

By 2029, if Lee is standing in the rubble of undone monuments, sword raised, declaring victory—don’t say he didn’t warn us.

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4. Brooke Rollins (Secretary of Agriculture) – “Madam Methane”

If it pollutes, she’s probably defended it.

Track Record:

Don’t let the Texas ranch-girl aesthetic fool you—Brooke Rollins is less about sustainable agriculture and more about supercharging pollution. She has virtually no experience in farming policy beyond childhood 4-H, but plenty of experience carrying water for polluters. As head of a Texas think tank, she pushed fossil fuel interests, fought environmental safeguards, and dismissed climate change as “hysteria.” During Trump’s first term, she was one of the architects of his deregulation agenda, helping craft policies that weakened emissions rules, endangered species protections, and public land safeguards. Now, with millions of acres of national forests and public rangelands under her control, she’s primed to turn USDA into a pipeline for methane-spewing policies—both from oil wells and cow herds alike.

Currently Undermining Public Lands:

Rollins came in like a wrecking ball for conservation, immediately rolling out “bold actions” to align USDA with Trump’s vision—which in practice means dismantling anything remotely green. She’s teaming up with Chainsaw Tommy (more on him in a minute) to gut Biden’s old-growth forest protections and fast-track massive logging projects. She’s already moved to strip roadless protections in the Tongass National Forest, opening millions of acres to the timber industry, all while framing it as “economic revitalization.” If a tree falls in the forest under Rollins, you can bet it’s being turned into lumber ASAP.

Likely Next 4 Years:

Expect massive expansions of logging, grazing, and even oil and gas drilling on USDA lands. Rollins is all-in on Project 2025’s push to supercharge timber sales, which means even more clear-cutting—despite warnings from wildfire experts that indiscriminate logging can actually make fires worse. Under her leadership, the Forest Service could even start approving oil drilling in national forests, something past Secretaries handled cautiously. Not Rollins—she’s got Lease Lord (Sgamma) at BLM next door, ready to coordinate adjacent fracking projects.

Meanwhile, conservation programs within USDA will be quietly defunded or disbanded. Don’t look for any initiatives to curb manure emissions or encourage plant-based solutions; she’s more likely to invite cattlemen to “graze, baby, graze.” Expect climate adaptation research, pollinator protection initiatives, and farm runoff controls to vanish as she focuses on pumping up timber quotas and grazing numbers. By 2029, Madam Methane will likely boast about increased livestock grazing and logging outputs—while conveniently ignoring the spikes in methane emissions, habitat destruction, and air pollution.

In her mind, she’s optimizing land use for America. To everyone else, she’s lighting a cow pie on fire and calling it progress.

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3. Tom Schultz (Chief, U.S. Forest Service) – “Chainsaw Tommy”

To him, a forest isn’t an ecosystem—it’s just a timber sale waiting to happen.

Track Record:

Before Trump handed him the keys to the U.S. Forest Service, Tom “Chainsaw Tommy” Schultz was busy turning trees into timber as fast as possible. A longtime timber industry exec and state lands manager, he made a name for himself gutting environmental reviews, streamlining clear-cuts, and slamming so-called “analysis paralysis” (aka: science-based forest management). His philosophy? If a forest stands, it’s underutilized. Schultz has spent his career advocating for more logging in national forests, arguing that “active management” (read: cutting everything that’s not nailed down) is the cure for wildfires. Never mind that fire scientists disagree—Schultz believes the answer to a burning forest is to log it before it burns. Now, he’s in charge of 193 million acres of national forests, and you can bet he’s itching to clear-cut his way into the history books.

Currently Undermining Public Lands:

Just started last week, give him time.

Likely Next 4 Years:

Strap in—the next four years could bring some of the most aggressive logging in modern history. Expect the Forest Service to set timber harvest records not seen since the 1970s, with national forests from Oregon to the Appalachians opened up like never before. Schultz is likely to expand the Tongass rollback nationwide, targeting Colorado, Utah, and other Roadless Rule-protected forests under the guise of “needed access.” Critical habitat for spotted owls, red-cockaded woodpeckers, and other endangered species? Say goodbye. Schultz’s “science” will justify cutting their habitat in the name of “resilience.” And don’t be surprised if public lands get quietly privatized—he’s hinted at long-term timber leases for private industry, essentially handing over America’s forests to the highest bidder. By 2029, expect more stumps, more logging roads, and fewer old-growth trees. Schultz will call it “active management,” but to conservationists, it’s a full-scale chainsaw massacre.

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2. Kathleen Sgamma (Director, Bureau of Land Management) – “The Lease Lord”

She spent years suing BLM to force more drilling—so naturally, she’s now in charge of it.

Track Record:

Has Kathleen Sgamma ever met a stretch of public land she didn’t want to drill into oblivion? Tough to say. As the longtime president of the Western Energy Alliance, she spent decades suing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for not leasing land fast enough and lobbying Congress to let oil companies have their way. She was a one-woman wrecking ball for environmental regulations, fighting everything from methane pollution rules to leasing reforms that might slightly inconvenience drillers. Her motto? If it’s public, it should be pumped. She even helped write Project 2025, a policy playbook that calls for selling off public lands to the highest bidder—because apparently just drilling them isn’t extreme enough. For conservationists, putting her in charge of BLM is like hiring an arsonist as fire chief.

Currently Undermining Public Lands:

Not yet confirmed (although that didn’t stop William Perry Pendley from illegaly wreaking havoc the last time).

Likely Next 4 Years:

Once firmly seated in her oil-soaked throne, Sgamma will have four years to pull off the biggest public land sellout in history, and she won’t waste a second. Expect record-breaking lease sales, with vast new areas—including those near national parks, protected habitats, and Native lands—put on the auction block. To sweeten the deal for drillers, she’ll push for lower royalty rates, weaker pollution controls, and rollbacks of methane waste rules. She may even bring back Trump-era policies that let oil companies drill for pennies on the dollar. Conservation efforts will be completely sidelined—if it doesn’t involve an oil rig (frack wells count too), Sgamma doesn’t care.

But here’s where it gets really dystopian: Sgamma has openly floated the idea of outright land sales, not just leasing. That means BLM lands could be permanently sold off to private companies, fueling a sovereign wealth fund scheme where America’s wild places are turned into cash for the government and profits for the fossil fuel industry. If anyone can make the unthinkable happen—privatizing public lands—it’s her. By 2029, BLM could be unrecognizable, its lands riddled with more oil wells, fracking pads, and mining operations. Under Sgamma, BLM now stands for “Big Leasing Machine.” The Lease Lord won’t rest until every acre is drilled, sold, or both—and we’re left with the scraps.

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1. Doug Burgum (Secretary of the Interior) – “The Frack King”

Sec. Doug Burgum (Secretary of the Interior) tops our list because he now oversees half a billion acres of public lands – and all signs indicate he’s turning them into a paradise for polluters.

Track Record:

Doug Burgum didn’t just love Big Oil—he governed like he owed it child support. As North Dakota’s governor, he spent years fighting federal oversight so drillers could squeeze every last drop out of the Bakken shale. Under Burgum, the state sued the U.S. Interior Department at least five times to block protections for public lands, wildlife, and even drinking water. He fought fracking safety rules, raged against federal leasing pauses, and even backed Utah’s lawsuit to gut national monument protections—because, apparently, it’s his business if Bears Ears isn’t covered in pumpjacks. Now, after years of suing the Interior Department, Burgum’s running it. Like hiring a bank robber to oversee vault security.

Currently Undermining Public Lands:

Secretary Burgum came out swinging in his first weeks, making Interior the frontline for Trump’s rollback regime. He issued six secretarial orders in early 2025 that put drilling and mining first, and conservation last​. Among these orders, Burgum directed the BLM to offer up more public land for oil and gas leasing immediately, instructed his staff to “revisit and revise” protections on national monument lands, and set in motion the reinstatement of canceled oil leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). In plainer terms, he’s actively trying to overturn what he calls Biden’s “lock ups” of land: that means shrinking monuments (though he avoids the word “monument” in writing)​, opening formerly protected wilderness to extraction, and throwing the Arctic refuge back into the drilling crosshairs. Burgum also moved to suspend or trash a slew of conservation regulations. He’s targeting rules that required balanced use of BLM lands, modernized oil leasing terms, encouraged renewable energy, and protected the Western Arctic in Alaska​. All of those are now under review, with an eye to either repealing them or weakening them to favor development. The Frack King has essentially declared that under his reign, Interior’s priority is “Energy Dominance 2.0.” His own testimony to Congress reassured senators that he would “increase oil” production and undo restrictions, citing those very lawsuits he filed against Interior as proof he’ll follow through​. It’s a royal flush for extractive industries: Burgum is using every administrative tool to make public lands ground zero for drilling and fracking​, from desert national monuments to Arctic shores.

Likely Next 4 Years:

King Burgum’s empire over Interior will likely cement some of the most drastic public land policy shifts in U.S. history. Here’s what to expect: widespread leasing and possibly even selling of public lands for profit. Under Trump’s guidance, Burgum is exploring creating a U.S. sovereign wealth fund by monetizing public lands – yes, that means literally selling off parcels or rights to the highest bidder​. The Interior Secretary and Treasury Secretary have “stated clearly that public lands would be monetized — including selling out and selling off to the highest bidder – to raise substantial new revenue”. Don’t be shocked if Burgum starts auctioning not just oil leases but the land itself (especially “less scenic” BLM tracts), pitching it as a way to fund infrastructure or pay down debt. Even if outright sales are limited, massive expansion of drilling and mining is certain. Burgum will likely oversee the opening of areas like the Eastern Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic for offshore drilling (reversing Obama-era moratoria), more coal leasing in places like Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, and fast-tracking of mining permits for coal, uranium, potash – you name it – on Interior lands. Wildlife and conservation programs will take a hit: expect Burgum to significantly shrink habitat protected areas, slash endangered species protections (particularly if they impede energy – e.g., sage grouse plans will be gutted), and perhaps push de-listings of species en masse. National parks and refuges may face increased adjacent development; even inside some refuges, drilling could commence (e.g., the Arctic refuge, as noted, and possibly others with fossil reserves). By 2029, Burgum aims to have fulfilled Trump’s wildest “energy dominance” dreams: public lands effectively turned into a cash register for fossil fuels. The risks and downsides – more oil spills, habitat destruction, climate pollution – are mere trifles to the Frack King. He’s betting that Americans will be too distracted by short-term gains (or simply too overwhelmed) to revolt. But historians may look back at these years as the moment we pawned off our natural heritage for a song. If so, Burgum will be the face of that deal with the (oil) devil – smiling in his crown, as the last wells are fracked on formerly protected lands.

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Closing Thoughts

The villains above may wear different hats – oil boosters, rancher apologists, anti-park ideologues – but they share a common goal: dismantling the protections that keep public lands public and wild. They are the legislative arsonists setting little fires that could scorch our great American inheritance of parks, forests, and refuges. The good news? Heroes abound too – from indigenous leaders and conservationists to pro-public lands lawmakers – ready to douse those flames. By staying informed (and maybe sharing a laugh–albeit through tears–at the villains’ expense), we can fight back. Public lands belong to all of us, not just the highest bidder or loudest politician. So keep your eyes peeled and your voice ready – because these ten will be busy in 2025, and they’re counting on us not noticing. Let’s prove them wrong, and do our part to ensure our favorite trails and vistas stay protected for generations to come.

Until next time,
Will