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Public lands win elections: The Mountain West polling guide for the 2026 midterms
As voters head to the polls across the Mountain West, one of the most prominent and bipartisan throughlines in 2026 is protecting America’s public lands and natural resources. Broadly, we have already seen public lands serve as a salient and decisive issue across elections, central to the identity of voters across the states highlighted. This […]
Read MoreFalling behind: Forest Service fuel treatment gap puts communities at risk
A new analysis finds that the U.S. Forest Service treated roughly 35 percent fewer acres for hazardous fuels in 2025 than in 2024
Read MoreFrom disavowal to delivery: The Trump administration’s rapid implementation of Project 2025 on public lands
Increasing fossil fuel production on public lands. Gutting federal agencies that oversee national parks and forests. Removing protections for Alaska’s lands and waters. Limiting environmental reviews and undermining the Endangered Species Act. These are just a few of the extremely unpopular actions called for in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 “Mandate for Leadership” report. They are […]
Read MoreOil & Gas Government Shutdown Tracker
The Center for Western Priorities’ Oil & Gas Shutdown Tracker monitors the approval of federal onshore oil and gas drilling permits during the 2025 government shutdown.
Read MoreDon’t Drill Here
How bipartisan pushback has helped prevent oil and gas leasing on some of the West’s most prized public lands President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum have made clear their intent to prioritize energy production on America’s public lands. In their recent executive and secretarial orders, they direct Interior department staff to identify and […]
Read MoreWinning the West: Election 2024
Candidates who successfully balanced economic development with environmental stewardship often found favor with voters.
Read MoreThe Wrong Side of History
Despite their popularity, proposals for public land protections almost always face vehement opposition from small but vocal minorities. These criticisms are nothing new. For over a century, parks and monuments that protect our country’s proudest landscapes have been established despite heated—sometimes violent—opposition. Even the most celebrated parks once faced the same tired objections as today’s national monument proposals.
Read MoreThe National Monuments Disinformation Brigade
America’s loudest conservation opponents are anti-government extremists and conspiracy theorists Anti-public lands advocates have always relied on disinformation and fearmongering, and the National Monuments Disinformation Brigade identified in this report is no different. Opinion polls have shown over and over again that the majority of Americans living in the West support conservation and want new […]
Read MoreConservation Gridlock: 2024 Update
Oregon, Idaho, and Wyoming fall behind while Arizona and Nevada move up thanks to presidential action An updated analysis from the Center for Western Priorities finds that not every Western state is living up to its conservation legacy. Oregon in particular has a proud conservation tradition, yet a dysfunctional Congress is blocking the largest conservation […]
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