Staffing Cuts at the National Park Service and Forest Service and an Uptick in Gas Lease Sales - Public Lands News (May 19 - 23)

This week, we’re breaking down a sweeping federal budget package passed by the House on May 22 and what it means for America’s public lands, waters, and environmental protections.

In this episode:

• The public lands sell-offs we stopped — and how grassroots action made it happen.

• How deep staffing cuts at the National Park Service and Forest Service are hollowing out essential public lands operations just ahead of peak season.

• The quiet but relentless expansion of fossil fuel development on public lands, with new oil and gas lease sales announced in North Dakota, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, and New Mexico.

• Changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and old-growth forest protections that fast-track extraction projects and sideline public oversight.

• A dangerous new directive threatening free, honest historical interpretation within the National Park Service.

Plus:

• A small but important win at Mount Rainier National Park with the rollout of a limited timed-entry system.

• Alarming impacts of agency consolidation in Alaska, where the National Park Service regional office has lost a third of its workforce.

Have tips, testimonials, or insights on public land changes? Submit them through our Google Form (⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/JwC73G8wLvU6kedc9⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠)

Episode Resources:

https://www.outdooralliance.org/blog/2025/5/22/land-sell-offs-removed-from-spending-bill-but-its-still-bad

https://www.npca.org/articles/8891-house-advances-budget-bill-reducing-national-park-service-staff-amid-peak

https://www.sierraclub.org/washington/2025-end-of-session-report

https://grist.org/politics/house-republican-tax-bill-inflation-reduction-act-repeal-clean-energy-tax-credits/

https://www.nwf.org/Home/Latest-News/Press-Releases/20