(This is the 11th in a series of AI-generated analyses of the right-wing manifesto “Project 2025: Mandate for Leadership, the Conservative Promise.“ Some chapters are reviewed out of order.)

Chapter 16 of  “Project 2025: Mandate for Leadership” outlines a conservative vision for the Department of the Interior (DOI) and its impact on environmental protections and land owned by Native Americans. The author argues that the Biden administration’s policies prioritizing environmental concerns have crippled American energy independence and economic development. They propose a rollback of these policies and a return to a “multiple-use” approach that prioritizes economic activities ahead of environmental protection and long-term sustainability.

Here’s a breakdown of the key points regarding environmental protections:

• Increased Resource Extraction: The proposal advocates for a significant increase in oil, gas, and mineral extraction on federal lands. This would likely lead to environmental damage through drilling, mining, and fracking activities.
• Weaker Regulations: The author criticizes the Biden administration’s use of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Antiquities Act to limit development. They propose streamlining regulations to expedite resource extraction projects, potentially bypassing environmental impact assessments.
• Focus on Energy Dominance: The chapter prioritizes American energy independence and economic benefits over stricter environmental regulations. This could lead to a relaxation of emissions standards and a push for technologies like coal, despite its contribution to climate change.
• Reduced Public Land Protections: The document criticizes the “30 by 30” initiative aiming to conserve 30% of US lands and waters by 2030. It suggests a review of resource management plans to potentially remove some federal lands from protected status,

Threats to Native American Lands:

• Uncertainty over Resource Management: The document prioritizes maximizing resource extraction on federal lands, which could conflict with tribal rights and interests in managing their traditional territories.
• Potential for Increased Revenue: Increased resource extraction could generate revenue for some tribes that have mineral deposits on their lands. However, this could also lead to environmental degradation on tribal lands.
• Disregard for Tribal Consultation: The proposal prioritizes streamlining permitting processes, which could limit tribal consultation on development projects that may affect their lands and resources.

Conclusion

Project 2025’s proposals for the Department of the Interior prioritize resource extraction and development over environmental protection. This could have significant negative consequences for air, water, and wildlife, as well as potentially harm the interests of Native American tribes.

Scary Quotes:

“(The new president should pursue the) restoration of the department’s historic role managing the nation’s vast storehouse of hydrocarbons, much of which is yet to be discovered.”

“(The new administration must) rescind the Biden rules and reinstate the Trump rules regarding BLM waste prevention; The Endangered Species Act rules defining Critical Habitat and Critical Habitat Exclusions; and The Migratory Bird Treaty Act; ……and … (must) reinstate President Trump’s plan for opening most of the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska to leasing and development.”

About the Author

Former Trump Interior official William Perry led the Bureau of Land Management under Trump, although he was never confirmed by the Senate and a judge ruled that he had unlawfully served in that job.

Read the Entire Series

https://thewritecoach.blog/reject-project-2025/

Read the Entire Document Here (If You Dare)

2025_MandateForLeadership_FULL.pdf