Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump’s “mine everywhere” executive order would prioritize mining on public lands that his administration deems as having potential mineral deposits—a move that would cut off access to some of America’s most iconic places, according to a new analysis from the Center for American Progress. The March 20 order allows or takes steps toward allowing mining nearly everywhere, including currently protected lands such as national monuments and areas previously safeguarded from mineral development.
Two areas where the Trump administration has already removed protections are the Pecos River watershed in New Mexico and the Ruby Mountains in Nevada. These places had previously been protected by the Biden administration due to their important recreational, wildlife, and cultural values. Other areas that could be targeted for mining include national monuments, sensitive lands in the Arctic, and hundreds of millions of additional acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands.
Regardless of other values public lands have—including recreation, wildlife, culture, and conservation—Trump’s order makes mining the No. 1 use. This will likely lead to additional lands being swiftly and silently unprotected to build the wealth of mostly foreign-owned mining corporations at the expense of America’s most treasured landscapes, leaving taxpayers and communities in the rubble.
Read the issue brief: “Inside Trump’s Plan to Sell Out America’s Public Lands to Mining” by Sam Zeno and Jenny Rowland-Shea
For more information, or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at [email protected].