Promoting Smarter Conservation at the Interior Department

At PERC, we believe effective conservation requires both visionary goals and practical tools to achieve them. That’s why we’ve submitted a suite of public comments to the Department of the Interior offering actionable recommendations to reduce regulatory burdens while advancing environmental stewardship.

Our comments highlight a common-sense approach to conservation—one that empowers land managers, embraces market-based solutions, and focuses on real outcomes, not red tape. Drawing from our recent report, 10 Ideas for the Interior Department, we outline key opportunities to:

• Triple the rate of endangered species recovery
• Double fee revenue to fund the stewardship of our national parks
• Increase the pace of forest restoration to 3 million acres per year to tackle the wildfire crisis
• Improve rangeland management by embracing the role of markets in resolving resource conflicts
• Double the number of wild horse adoptions to restore western rangelands and save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars

Achieving these goals requires a vision of conservation that celebrates getting things done, not the number of projects stopped or lawsuits filed. Ultimately, our aim is to support a more nimble and effective Interior Department.

Explore the Comments

National Parks

National Park Service Policy Regarding Allocation of Recreation Fee Revenues to Deferred Maintenance

Empowering Innovation in National Park Service Recreation Fee Policy, Including Implementing an International Visitor Surcharge

Endangered Species Act

Reforming Critical Habitat Designations Under the Endangered Species Act to Promote Species Recovery

Rescinding the Blanket Rule and Improving How Species-Specific Rules Are Developed

Regulations to the Endangered Species Act’s Federalism Provisions

Regulatory Revisions to the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Distinct Population Segment Policy

Endangered Species Act Regulations to Reduce Permitting and Encourage Proactive Conservation

Wild Horses and Rangeland Health

Reinstating and Enhancing the Bureau of Land Management’s Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Incentive Program

Establishing a Categorical Exclusion for Virtual Fencing Technologies on Lands Managed by the Department of the Interior

Advancing Outcome-Based Grazing on Public Rangelands

Promoting Flexibility and Stewardship in Federal Grazing Policy

Forest Health

How to Fix the Ninth Circuit Cottonwood Decision Through Regulation