Protecting America’s Public Lands
Roughly 300 million acres of American lands, most in the West, are set aside as public lands and maintained using taxes paid by all Americans. These lands managed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and National Wildlife Refuge System are by charter supposed to be managed for multiple uses including recreation and provision of wildlife habitat and clean water sources. Increasingly, however, they are run for the benefit of extractive industries and with little regard for the preservation of the rare wildlife or iconic natural beauty for which they are famous.
With the help of conscientious range management specialists, scientists, law enforcement officers and other workers within these agencies, PEER is uncovering how our precious national heritage is being sold to the highest bidder, often under the direction of poorly qualified and illegally appointed political appointees.
Livestock grazing allows heavily subsidized private operators to degrade our public lands.
Our national parks are drowning in a rising tide of plastic waste.
Cell phone towers spread across national parks without proper planning and public input.
Off-road vehicle abuse is a growing problem on our public lands, especially in the West.
Environmental and public health risks are being ignored by regulatory agencies and decisions heavily influenced by profit-driven industries.
Twenty-five million acres of recommended wilderness in our national park system are in limbo, marooned by politics.
Unregulated air tours threaten the serenity of national parks and are a danger to wildlife.
REPORT | The Biden Administration’s Bureau of Land Management
As the Biden administration nears its halfway point, there are both encouraging signs of progress and plenty of room for growth when it comes to conserving public lands. Stronger leadership from the Biden administration and within federal land agencies is critical to act on both the climate and biodiversity crises. No public lands agency more epitomizes the challenges and opportunities ahead than the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) – the country’s largest land manager at more than 245 million acres.
Mapping Rangeland Health
Our interactive BLM Rangeland Health Standards Evaluation Data (2020) on MangoMaps is based on data from 2020, obtained via the Freedom of Information Act. PEER worked with a former BLM contractor to analyze what these records reveal about the condition of our public lands and BLM’s discharge of its duties to safeguard them.
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NEWS FROM PEER
National Parks Should Go Plastic Free
Rulemaking Petition Presses Park Service to Ban Plastic Water Bottle Sales
COMMENTARY | Beefalo Befuddlement in Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon’s plan to “lethally remove” 12 beefalo from its herd is fraught with ambiguity and lacking in scientific rationale.
COMMENTARY | Haaland’s Bold Move Forward at Interior
Structural changes within the Department of Interior will further Secretary Haaland’s goals of tackling the climate crisis and conservation.
Yellowstone’s Thermal Features vs. Expanded Bandwidth
Plan to Bury 187 Miles of Fiber Optic Cable May Damage Park “Hot” Spots
Federal Land Give-Away to Las Vegas Opposed
Transfer Will Fuel Sprawl, Aggravating Water and Resource Woes
Suit to Bar E-Bikes from Park Trails Gets Greenlight
Claims Challenging Legality of NPS E-Bikes Approval Will Be Heard
BLOG | Mining: An Eco-Price for Fighting Climate Change
Hardrock mining for minerals like lithium is no more sustainable than fracking for natural gas. Inflicting more damage is not the answer to climate change.
Let’s Resist the Temptation to “Improve” Wilderness
In designated wilderness areas, management means protecting the resource and natural processes, sometimes this means less access instead of more.
National Parks Screwing Up Cell Tower Permits
Nearly One-Third Invalid or Expired; Call to Extend Permit Moratorium
Call to Restore Ban on Farming Risks in Wildlife Refuges
GM Crops and Neonic Insecticides Incompatible with Refuge Purposes
BLM Moves to Fire Migratory Bird Whistleblower
Reports on Raptors Dying in Big Wyoming Oil and Gas Project Spiked
BLOG | Can the Bureau of Land Management Shift Gears on Climate Change?
After years of mismanagement, does the Bureau of Land Management have the capacity to deliver on its climate change and conservation promises?
Report | 2021 Bureau of Land Management Employee Survey
PEER conducted a survey with current and former Bureau of Land Management (BLM) employees on the state of the agency, these are the findings.
Webinar | A New Era for the Bureau of Land Management?
Steps the Biden administration can take to strengthen the Bureau of Land Management and address its conservation and climate change goals.
BLOG | Renewable Energy and Public Lands
Tensions may emerge between the dual goals of protecting natural areas and reducing GHG emissions, particularly when it comes to public lands.
BLOG | Social Distancing to Curb COVID-19 and Park Overcrowding
Biden Executive Order on COVID-19 protocols on federal property puts the National Park Service under a direct presidential order to do something it’s resisted for years – manage overcrowding.
Tongass Timber Sales Mismanaged – Official Audit
“Pressure to Meet Timber Sale Goals” Led to Violations and Financial Losses
REPORT | PEER 2021 Annual Report (PDF)
2021 Annual Report of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility
Statement | Biden Administration’s New Direction on Climate
Biden’s executive orders are the first steps to a rapid transition from fossil fuels and increased protections for our communities, public lands and oceans.
Beyond 2020: Bureau of Land Management Video
Steps that the Biden Administration, Congress and the Bureau of Land Management can take to move the agency into the next decade and beyond
