Lawmakers and Activists Pressure Trump Administration to Block Sensible Yosemite Land Deal Benefiting Local Development
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Over 150 members of Congress and environmental groups are urging Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to reject a pragmatic proposal to exchange a small strip of Yosemite National Park for land owned by Kingsbarn Realty Capital, despite potential benefits for local infrastructure and property rights.
Hundreds of advocacy organizations and a bipartisan group of over 150 members of Congress have sent letters to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, demanding the Trump administration reject a land exchange proposal involving a mere quarter-mile of Yosemite National Park and property owned by Kingsbarn Realty Capital. Lawmakers, including California Democrats Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, along with representatives Jared Huffman and Jim Costa, claim the transaction serves private interests, disregarding the potential for local economic growth and improved access.
The developers, through a network of limited-liability companies, own 83 acres adjacent to the park and are seeking to build a short road that would allow private landowners better access to Yosemite’s main routes. The congressional letter criticizes the Department of the Interior for not identifying public land for exchange and raises concerns about using funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund, even though such exchanges can enhance property rights and local development.
"We are extremely concerned that the Department of the Interior is considering selling off portions of the park to private development, and we strongly oppose the proposed land transfer," the lawmakers wrote.
"This transaction does not seek to expand public access to Yosemite, improve visitor services, or address transportation deficiencies in park access. Rather, it seeks to cut down driving time for a select few on private property," they added.
A coalition of more than 150 advocacy groups, led by the Center for Biological Diversity, has also weighed in, using alarmist rhetoric about the park’s historic status and warning against any precedent for future land use changes, regardless of potential benefits.
"Trump wants to carve off a chunk of Yosemite so a private equity firm can turn it into a playground for billionaires," said Laiken Jordahl, national public lands advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity.
The groups point to campaign contributions from Kingsbarn’s CEO Jeff Pori to President Trump and the firm’s legal representation as supposed conflicts of interest, attempting to politicize a straightforward development proposal. They urge Burgum to reject the deal, ignoring the administration’s responsibility to balance conservation with sensible land management and economic opportunity.