The Trump administration has significantly advanced over 80% of the public land initiatives outlined in Project 2025, despite President Donald Trump’s previous disavowals of the plan. According to a report released by the Center for Western Priorities, a conservation and advocacy organization based in Colorado, the federal government has fully or partially implemented 80% of the directives related to public lands from Project 2025 within the first year of Trump’s second term.
The report analyzes 70 specific directives from Project 2025, highlighting that 50% have been fully completed, while 34.3% are still in progress, and 15.7% have not been attempted. Project 2025, a comprehensive conservative framework produced by the Heritage Foundation in 2022, is intended to guide Trump’s policies during his anticipated 2025 presidency.
During a debate on September 10, 2024, with former Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump claimed, “I have nothing to do with Project 2025,” asserting that he had not read the document and had no intention of doing so. In response to the report’s findings, Kate Groetzinger, communication manager at the Center for Western Priorities, remarked, “The speed with which President Trump has embraced a plan he once claimed to know nothing about is staggering.”
Implementation of Project 2025 Directives
The report emphasizes that the majority of public land actions are linked to the Department of the Interior, which oversees the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Under the Biden administration, former Bureau of Land Management head William Perry Pendley criticized the Department for not prioritizing the development of federal oil, gas, and coal resources.
Project 2025 aims to reverse many Biden-era policies concerning climate action and endangered species, increase domestic energy production—particularly in Alaska—and reform key federal statutes like the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act. Groetzinger warned that if the Trump administration continues on its current path, it could lead to the privatization of public lands by the end of Trump’s presidency in 2028.
The report categorizes actions taken into themes such as fossil fuel production, federal land protections, and environmental reviews. Notably, nearly 70% of the recommendations related to fossil fuel production have been completed. The administration has initiated actions to expedite permitting processes and streamline NEPA reviews, as evidenced by the rescinding of specific regulations.
Challenges and Future Prospects
While significant strides have been made in certain areas, the report indicates that federal land protections have seen the least implementation, with less than 20% of the roadmap’s related recommendations completed. However, approximately 70% are reported as in progress. Trump’s administration has also targeted the Biden-era 30 by 30 conservation goal, which sought to protect 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
Despite these developments, some directives remain unaddressed, such as relocating the Bureau of Land Management headquarters back to the West and increasing transparency around Endangered Species Act decisions. The report notes that public opposition to the sale of federal lands remains strong, illustrated by the defeat of a proposal from Senator Mike Lee to sell up to 3 million acres of public land.
As the Trump administration enters the second year of its term, it is expected to continue implementing Project 2025’s directives. The implications of these actions will likely be felt across the United States, particularly in Western states where public lands are a critical resource for both conservation and economic activities.
