September 22nd, 2026Heinrich Joins Bipartisan Congressional Push to Stop Proposed Yosemite Land Transfer to Trump Donor

WASHINGTON — This week, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, joined a bipartisan group of 153 lawmakers in urging the Department of the Interior (DOI) to abandon a proposed transfer of federally managed public land within Yosemite National Park that would facilitate private access to and development of an 83-acre parcel adjacent to the park known as Hazel Green Ranch. U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), along with U.S. Representatives Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), led the effort. In their letter to the Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the lawmakers condemned recent reporting that indicated the Trump administration is considering a proposal to exchange or convey an interest in an approximately quarter-mile strip of federally managed public land within Yosemite to facilitate access to private property owned by Kingsbarn, a company whose chief executive officer began making a series of donations to Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee in late 2024 — shortly after Kingsbarn acquired the Hazel Green Ranch property. “At its core, this proposal appears to provide a private benefit at the expense of land that belongs to all Americans,” the lawmakers wrote. “Any decision to relinquish public land to private ownership should be supported by a clear and compelling public benefit, not merely the economic interests of a private party.” The lawmakers also raised concerns about the Department’s proposal to use Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) authority to facilitate the exchange. The letter noted that the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee did not agree to move forward with the project due to congressional objections. “Public lands belong in public hands,” the lawmakers concluded . “Protection of public lands is a bipartisan issue, overwhelmingly supported by the American people from all walks of life.” As Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Heinrich is leading efforts to protect our public lands and to hold the Trump administration accountable for their attacks on these treasured places. In July, Heinrich criticized legislation that removes protections for public lands, emphasizing the need for bipartisan collaboration within the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. In June, Heinrich helped advance the America the Beautiful Act, bipartisan legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Angus King (I-Maine) to reauthorize the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund, out of the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. In March, Heinrich led his colleagues in delivering remarks on the Senate floor in condemning and drawing attention to the Trump administration’s efforts to erase American history from public lands. In October of 2025, Heinrich delivered remarks on the Senate floor, criticizing Republicans for pushing forward Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions of disapproval targeting Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Resource Management Plans (RMPs) that would undo protections for national parks, including the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. In July of 2025, Heinrich blasted the Trump administration for its plans to transfer national park units to state control, criticizing the administration for “cutting off our access to public lands and devastating state economies in the process, overwhelming state budgets and dismantling the systems that keep public lands running.” In June of 2025, Heinrich successfully fought Senate Republican provisions to sell off public lands in the Big Bad Bill, and led an amendment to prevent the privatization of our public lands. In May of 2025, Heinrich sent a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, demanding answers from the Trump administration regarding its plans to transfer National Park System units from federal management. The letter follows Heinrich’s questioning of Secretary Burgum during a Senate Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee hearing, where Burgum failed to provide sufficient answers on the Trump administration’s plan to transfer hundreds of sites managed by the NPS to the states. Full letter is available here and below: Dear Secretary Burgum: Yosemite National Park is a cornerstone of the National Park System and is one of California’s crown jewels. President Theodore Roosevelt once said that “nothing in the world is more beautiful than the Yosemite” and that our national parks should be “preserved” and “their majestic beauty all unmarred.” Yosemite is a national treasure preserved for the benefit of the American people. Its continued beauty, status as a wildlife sanctuary, and source of enjoyment is contingent upon preservation and proper maintenance of its land—not parts being sold off to enrich nearby private property owners. 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. Recent reporting indicates that since early 2025, the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service have been considering a proposal to exchange or convey an interest in an approximately quarter-mile strip of federally managed public land within Yosemite National Park to facilitate access to an 83-acre privately owned ranch. This is not the first time this property has sought to have private access to Yosemite, with federal courts blocking this right to access in both 2007 and 2012. Now that the ranch has a new owner, they are once again seeking to acquire this land to enhance the value of their property, and the political leadership at DOI is pressuring career staff to approve the exchange. At its core, this proposal appears to provide a private benefit at the expense of land that belongs to all Americans. This transaction does not seek to expand public access to Yosemite, improve visitor services, or address transportation deficiencies in park access. Rather, this land exchange seeks to merely cut down on driving time for a select few on private property. Any decision to relinquish public land to private ownership should be supported by a clear and compelling public benefit, not merely the economic interests of a private party. We were alarmed that the Department submitted to Congress a proposal to use money from the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) authority to facilitate this exchange. That fund exists to acquire and protect public lands for the benefit of the American public—not sell them off to corporate developers. In response to the Department’s request to fund this exchange through the LWCF, the Senate Interior-Environment Appropriations Subcommittee did not agree to move forward on this project due to our objection. Further, in response to inquiries from Congress, the Department indicated that it has not identified any land to be exchanged for the parcel of Yosemite National Park that the Department is seeking to sell to the private developer. This gives further credence to the notion that this exchange is not being done in the public interest, but rather solely to benefit a private developer. In its justification for the LWCF proposal, the Department indicated that this exchange was a “priority,” while providing no compelling explanation for why it was in the interest of the United States to pursue this exchange. Instead, when explaining the need for the project, the Department simply stated that the private landowner requested an interest in federally owned property within the national park. Public lands belong in public hands. Protection of public lands is a bipartisan issue, overwhelmingly supported by the American people from all walks of life. We oppose any effort to privatize, sell off, give away, or otherwise undermine the continued existence of public lands, in Yosemite or across the country. We ask that you honor congressional objections and abandon this effort to sell off a piece of Yosemite National Park. Sincerely, ###