Interior Department proposes selling federal lands to states and tribes

The Department of the Interior released a five-year strategic plan on Wednesday that proposes selling public lands to states, tribes, and local governments. The agency stated the goal is to decrease the size of the federal estate so it can focus resources on nationally significant lands. The plan covers the period from 2026 to 2030.

Interior officials did not specify which parcels might be sold or the geographic scope of the transactions. They noted that a portion of the sale proceeds would be returned to the buyer for conservation purposes elsewhere. The strategy also calls for land transfers and exchanges to support greater energy production.

The proposal has already drawn criticism from members of President Donald Trump’s own party. Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana, who previously served as Interior secretary, said in a statement that he remains firmly opposed to the sale or transfer of public lands. Zinke said he would vote against any legislation on the issue if it reaches the floor before he leaves Congress after this term.

Wyoming faces particular scrutiny because nearly half of the state is federally owned. About a third of the state’s land is managed by Interior Department agencies. Past proposals to sell off public lands in Wyoming have met with strong public backlash, creating a difficult political environment for the new plan.

Democratic lawmakers pledged to fight the initiative after winning a majority in last week’s midterm elections. Ranking Democrats on the House and Senate natural resources committees said they would resist the move. Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico stated that federal lands belong to the American people, not private interests looking to cash in.

Rep. Jared Huffman of California said Democrats would deliver a clear message that the administration’s schemes to auction off resources must stop. He noted that Americans love their public lands and sent that signal in the recent elections. Some Western lawmakers had previously sought to sell vast tracts of land in Utah and Nevada to generate revenue, but those efforts failed amid bipartisan opposition.

Mark Squillace, a professor of natural resources law at the University of Colorado Law School, said federal law places significant constraints on public land sales. Land under protected status cannot be sold. A sale must be deemed appropriate under specific criteria, such as managing uneconomic land or serving important public objectives like economic development. The Interior Department oversees more than 750,000 square miles of land, an area larger than Texas and California combined.