The Trump administration canceled a plan to expand the oldest national wildlife refuge in Texas to make way for energy development and agriculture production.

What's happening?

A 2023 land protection plan for the 6,440-acre Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge could have enlarged the area by 700,000 acres in West Texas and Eastern New Mexico. The move stems from an executive order to squash government contracts that "[limit] energy or agricultural production," the Texan reported.

"By withdrawing the LPP, the Service will take no actions to acquire lands within the acquisition boundary, seek any appropriations from Congress or submit any land acquisition proposals for approval by the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission for any lands within the LPP expanded acquisition boundary," according to a Fish and Wildlife Service news release.

It added that the change "will ensure America's lands continue to support energy development, agriculture production, and our local economies."

U.S. Reps. Jodey Arrington, Wesley Hunt, and Ronny Jackson said the land grab was "unnecessary," per the Texan, and that farmers and ranchers would be "pressured into ceding ownership of their land." They cited tax revenue and an FWS deferred maintenance backlog in their opposition to the expansion.

Why is this important?

President Donald Trump's Unleashing American Energy executive order purported to ensure the United States' future energy security and benefit citizens, but it has led to the elimination of tax credits and other incentives for investments in electric vehicles, solar panels, and more.

It has also meant potentially forever spoiling Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, threatening the Central California coast's biodiversity and businesses via drilling, and propping up the failing coal industry in Michigan, driving the U.S. into the past as other leading nations as well as developing ones adopt cheaper, cleaner energy sources that will also tamp down rising global temperatures.

The change is essential, as the warming climate — caused by the burning of coal, gas, and oil — is quietly killing people, causing a sixth mass extinction, and making parts of Earth unlivable. Only massive reductions in and possibly the sequestration of pollution can limit the worst effects of this change.

What's being done to protect federal lands?

Preserving and expanding federal lands to protect wildlife and the environment is vital to ensuring a cooler, safer future for Americans and other people around the world. To support conservation, vote for candidates who will take climate action, contact your representatives to voice your opinions, and donate to climate-related causes.

At home, you can make simple changes such as avoiding plastic, shopping secondhand, and rewilding your yard. These actions benefit your community and create a ripple effect that can touch all corners of the country.

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