Trump Administration Plans to Sell Some Public Lands

The Trump administration plans to sell some public lands in the years ahead as part of an effort to reduce federal ownership, according to reports from two outlets. The Hill reported that the plan was announced this week. ABC News reported that the administration wants to sell public lands to states, tribes and local governments as part of an effort to "decrease the size of the federal estate."

The Hill reported, in an item written by Rachel Frazin, that the Interior Department "will work to decrease the size of the federal estate by." The summary of that item ends at that point, so the rest of the sentence, including the methods the department intends to use, is not available. The item's newsletter heading also refers to Interior eyeing workforce change, but the summary does not describe what that change involves.

ABC News reported that the sales would be directed to states, tribes and local governments. The summary of The Hill item does not name prospective buyers. The ABC News summary does not name a federal department, while The Hill attributes the plan to the Interior Department. Both reports describe the same goal of reducing federal holdings, and the sources do not contradict one another on that point.

Neither summary gives acreage, the parcels involved, prices, or a schedule for the sales. The Hill's summary says the sales are planned for the years ahead, which is the only timing the available sources provide.

Because the summaries available for this report are partial, the full text of each outlet's reporting may contain additional details not reflected here.

Sources: ABC News: Trump administration to pursue public land sales and a decrease in federal ownership; The Hill: Interior plans public land sales.