Four decades ago, Congress directed federal agencies to coordinate their management of federal lands with the local governments directly impacted by their decisions. Instead, the federal agencies have subverted Congress by creating internal processes that sideline local communities. The Trump Administration’s land policies will get the same treatment and its America First policies will never reach rural communities unless our federal agencies are required to follow the law.
The coordination requirement was authorized in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, which directs the Interior Secretary to work with States, local governments and tribes for the purpose of making federal plans consistent with local plans. Congress recognized that since federal agencies only have authority to manage federally-owned lands, they should harmonize federal policies with the land policies of local governments, which are charged with protecting the health, safety and welfare of the people on and near those lands. This is essential to ensure vibrant local communities and economies. It is also a powerful reinforcement of federalism, which is a priority of the Trump Administration.
Under the law, coordination must take place through an open public forum, usually in the form of a business meeting of the county government. This allows local citizens to hear what their local and federal officials are planning. Importantly, the coordination requirement also gives locals a forum to press and expose federal agencies when they are not complying with the law.
For example, when the Biden Administration released a new plan in 2021 for the Lincoln National Forest in New Mexico, local counties invoked the coordination requirement, forcing federal officials to coordinate with them.
The federal government wanted to create 54 new Wilderness Study Areas (WSA’s) and three new Wilderness areas, which would have wiped out the ranching industry and recreational access to the area. The counties showed how the WSA’s could not be advanced legally. Every commissioner, citizen and agency official could see that the plan failed to comply with the law. As a result of following the process as Congress intended, the plan—once among the Biden Administration’s top priorities—was terminated.
Congress should ensure that federal land management agencies will again adhere to the coordination provision of existing law by reinforcing its directive in the pending budget reconciliation bill. By this approach, the Trump Administration would gain an army of rural county commissioners grateful that they can once again manage their local lands and make their communities prosperous.
Locals know when their lands need to be thinned and grazed to prevent wildfires. They know what areas should be open to hunting and recreation, and they know the vital industries that should be supported to generate revenues for their roads, schools, hospitals and emergency services.
If President Trump and Congress insist that agencies coordinate with local communities, as required by law, they will give county commissioners the ability to make important reforms. These local leaders do not want government grants to pay their bills. They want to generate revenues and jobs from their abundant natural resources.
Federal-local coordination is the law when it comes to federal lands, and it is the strategy to ensure Trump Administration policies can be carried out at local levels across the nation. It is time for every federal land management agency to follow the law.
Margaret Byfield is founder and president of American Stewards of Liberty.
