Despite the federal government’s rollback of America the Beautiful, the nationwide 30×30 goal, California is making progress toward its goal of conserving 30 percent of its lands and coastal waters by 2030.
The state’s 2025 30×30 Progress Report, released yesterday, shows the state has protected over one million acres of land and coastal waters in the last year, including 853,000 acres of land and 191,000 acres of coastal waters. As of June 2025, 26.1 percent of California’s lands and 21.9 percent of its coastal waters are under long-term conservation and care, according to the report, which was celebrated by Governor Gavin Newsom’s office.
Since 2022, California has designated over 2.5 million acres of “30×30 Conservation Areas”—including over 2,240,000 acres of land and nearly 19,000 acres of coastal waters—and has allocated over $1.3 billion in state funding to support its 30×30 goal.
Trump moves to reopen Powder River Basin to coal leasing
The Bureau of Land Management will file a notice this week to amend the Powder River Basin’s resource management plans in order to restart federal coal leasing—undoing a Biden-era ban on coal leasing in the region. The public will have 30 days to review and comment on the proposed action, setting a deadline of August 7. The move is a response to executive orders issued earlier this year by President Donald Trump.
Quick hits
California moves closer to ’30×30′ conservation goals as threats to public lands loom
Trump administration fast-tracks oil transport expansion in eastern Utah
Opinion: Pinedale’s grassroots grow along with opposition to selling public lands
How this group got Trump to sign a pro-environment executive order
Washington Post | National Parks Traveler
Trump moves to open Powder River Basin to coal leasing
WyoFile | Associated Press | E&E News
Opinion: Auctioning off public lands won’t fix the mountain town housing crisis
How Trump’s national park fee hike for foreign visitors could impact California
What’s next for public lands after land sale efforts were removed from GOP tax bill?
Quote of the day
President Trump and radical Republicans may not see the value of protecting our lands and waters but California does. We’ve conserved millions of acres of lands and coastal waters—adding an area equivalent to Glacier National Park in just the last year—and bolstered our partnerships with tribal nations and local communities. We’re proving that conservation isn’t just good for nature. It’s critical for people, too.”
—California Governor Gavin Newsom
Picture This
Grand Canyon varies in width from less than a mile to over 18 miles (1.5 to 29 km) but averages 10 miles (16 km) wide. No roads cross the canyon between Navajo Bridge (Lees Ferry) and Hoover Dam – for 340 miles (547 km).
More Grand Canyon statistics: https://go.nps.gov/g-s (1877) #TuesdayTrivia #GrandCanyon #Arizona Photo/S. Bridgehouse
Feature image: Soap Plant flowers and Chamise at Lake Berryessa; BLM California/Flickr