In his first few hours back in office, President Donald Trump issued a flurry of executive orders aimed at boosting fossil fuels production and mining on federal land and water and rolling back permitting processes and regulations he and his administration find burdensome.
Slightly more than half of all land in Oregon is owned by the federal government 鈥� including 60% of Oregon forests 鈥� and it鈥檚 managed primarily by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. The two agencies oversee more than 32 million acres in the state, an area larger than the state of Kentucky, and federal agencies are responsible for funneling hundreds of millions of dollars to the state to manage those areas, including protecting endangered or threatened species.
State and federal land and water often spill over borders, requiring federal collaboration with Oregon agencies and leaders, who espouse environmental values at odds with those of Trump.
Gov. Tina Kotek, her natural resources advisor, Geoff Huntington, and the heads of Oregon鈥檚 environmental protection and natural resource agencies said they鈥檝e been planning for this second Trump presidency. In separate interviews, Kotek and Huntington told the Capital Chronicle they are hopeful for collaboration but prepared for conflict.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to make our voice heard, and we鈥檙e going to figure out what is the right channel for us to participate to ensure that the pathway that鈥檚 taken by the federal government in land management in Oregon comports with our expectations just as much as we can,鈥� Huntington said.
Huntington said a big part of his work will be ensuring the Trump administration follows through on commitments in previous agreements with federal agencies.
Examples include ensuring federal Inflation Reduction Act money geared towards climate change investments is received, habitat conservation plans negotiated between state and federal agencies are respected and that the Columbia River Basin Initiative is honored. That initiative, from the Biden administration, provides more than $1 billion for salmon restoration and clean energy production after 20 years of ongoing lawsuits against the federal government for violating the Endangered Species Act and treaty rights with four Columbia Basin tribes.
鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter what administration is in power 鈥� that was signed with four tribes, the states of Washington and Oregon, and we put a stay on all of the litigation based on them (the federal government) following through on those commitments. So we鈥檙e going to expect those commitments to be fulfilled,鈥� Huntington said.
Kotek echoed that sentiment.
鈥淚 hope the new administration doesn鈥檛 do any harm. I want to be very clear,鈥� Kotek said. 鈥淚 expect the federal government to stay true to the commitments they鈥檝e made.鈥�
Preparing for volatility
To prepare for potential volatility from the incoming administration, Kotek finalized four outstanding reviews with federal agencies in the final weeks of the Biden administration. They cover projects related to solar energy siting, protecting sage grouse territory, managing resources and wildlife protection in southern Oregon鈥檚 Lakeview District and in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.
Those reviews ensure Oregon鈥檚 priorities are considered when the federal government proposes a policy or activity on land within the state. Kotek is working with other Western governors to ensure state and local priorities are not supplemental but key in federal policy making that affects Western land, she said.
鈥淭his isn鈥檛 just an Oregon thing. Western governors, Western states want to have more flexibility and more ability to partner to do things that have more appropriate local impacts,鈥� Kotek said.
Leah Feldon, director of Oregon鈥檚 Department of Environmental Quality, said in an email that her staff is keeping a close eye on any changes to funding or federal proposals touted by Trump administrators that could conflict with state law.
鈥淎gency leadership is already working to identify programs and funding streams that should be watched closely,鈥� Feldon said, including money states receive to enforce the federal clean air and water acts, and the significant funds Oregon is still set to receive from the Inflation Reduction Act.
In 2019, the Oregon Legislature passed , which requires that the Environmental Quality Department evaluate changes to federal environmental laws and determine whether the changes result in less protective measures than previously established federal standards. If new federal changes undermine established ones, the agency must inform the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission and recommend action to continue enforcing the previous standards.
鈥淲e will continue implementing this legislative mandate,鈥� Feldon said.
Vicki Walker, director of the Department of State Lands, said in an email that she and her staff are also focused on ensuring state regulations aren鈥檛 compromised by federal decisions. She鈥檚 also monitoring potential changes to federal funding the agency relies on for ongoing work with federal agencies. An example Walker offered was the South Slough Reserve in a national research estuary near Coos Bay. The state lands department and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, have partnered on conservation and research in the estuary for 50 years and NOAA provides 60% of the funding.
鈥淲ith any change in federal government comes unknowns,鈥� she said. 鈥淔ederal efforts on Oregon lands or waters that disregard state regulations threaten not only our natural resources, but also good working relationships with federal agency partners. We will work to maintain those relationships.鈥�
If conflicts emerge, Kotek and the state鈥檚 natural resource agencies can turn to lawsuits. During the last Trump administration, Oregon was involved in more than 16 lawsuits challenging Trump鈥檚 policies, though none was geared towards land management or the health of the environment.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not going to take that off the table,鈥� Huntington said about lawsuits.
Kotek said they鈥檒l take a wait-and-see approach.
鈥淚n terms of any changes coming from the Trump administration, I mean, we鈥檒l fight back if there are things that don鈥檛 align with our values,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut I think these are very long, complex conversations. It鈥檒l be an interesting four years, let me just say that.鈥�