Unleashing American uncertainty

“Some of the protections have been around a long time,” said Lisa Belenky, senior counsel for the Center for Biological Diversity.

Lands are declared monuments, Havlik said, not only to highlight them but to preserve them.

“They’re part of the natural history of our country, part of our cultural history,” he said.

While protecting plants and animals is a primary goal, Havlik said, the attractions are also important to local economies.

“People love to travel, and they want to go to nice places,” he said. “The designation of places like Carrizo are an economic boon to surrounding areas.”

Conservative lobbyists and think tanks like Independent Petroleum Association of America and the State Policy Network argue that exploring federal lands for oil decreases American dependence on foreign oil and reduces energy costs.

“Across the country, people are struggling with rising energy costs and concerns over what states will do when disasters strike our vital energy sources,” according to a position statement on the SPN site. “Leadership from the states will ensure that everyone has reliable, secure, affordable energy, that is as clean as possible.”

Neither the IPAA nor the SPN responded to repeated interview requests.

The United States already produces plenty of oil, Haas said.

“We’re one of the world’s leading oil producers,” he said.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the U.S. is the leading oil producer, ahead of Saudia Arabia and Russia, and is breaking records for production.

Exploration of federal lands isn’t limited to oil, Belenky said. It could also include gold, silver, lithium and natural gas. But even with Trump’s executive order, it won’t be easy to dig into federal lands. Leases, permits and environmental reviews are required — and everything can be challenged in court, including undoing monument status.

“This is a controversy to what the law allows,” Belenky said.

Court challenges would likely entail injunctions to halt exploration while cases are pending. The actions limiting the boundaries at Grand Staircase and Escalante were still being challenged in court before Biden reversed Trump’s executive order, Belenky said.

Meanwhile, some lands are protected by Congress. The Republicans currently control Congress, but not every conservative member would want to undo legislative protections, Haas said.

“It depends where those places are,” he said. “If it’s in their district, it’s going to be different when their chambers of commerce go, ‘Hey — wait a second!’”

The administration is aware of the complicated challenges undoing protections would entail, Belenky added. So it’s possible that “Unleash American Energy” is more of a political statement than a realistic goal.

“I see this as a real threat, but it’s also very ideological,” she said, adding, “We do have the tools to fight back.”

Back at Carrizo on a weekday morning, a neon sign at the California Valley Lodge announces that the motel is “OPEN,” but it looks no more active than the long-abandoned gas station across the street. After 40 minutes of complete silence on Soda Lake Road, a few cars roll along in intervals, though no one stops to take photos or stroll the Soda Lake boardwalks.

The intense isolation makes it look like a place ripe for oil, but the ground does not.

“They’ve looked pretty thoroughly,” Havlik said. “The geology is not favorable.”

While there has been previous exploration in small parts of Carrizo that predate monument status, the oil quality is not great.

“This is very low-quality oil,” Belenky said. “It’s not very valuable.”

Decades ago, miners found gypsum at Soda Lake, Havlik said. But today, the plain’s greatest resource might be those spring flowers.

The window of opportunity to experience them is short and unpredictable. But during a “superbloom,” the flowers provide a memorable sight — providing picture-perfect viral moments.

“You drive around, and it looks like you’re in the ‘Wizard of Oz,’” Haas said. “There are so many flowers and so many colors.”

Not so much in 2025.

“This year was kind of a bust for the wildflowers,” Havlik said. “The rainfall — the pattern and the amount — just was not conducive to wildflower production.”

Still, Carrizo is a place rich with Indigenous history, serenity and wildlife, including antelope and California condors. Like other protected lands, the open space offers respite from the bustle of everyday life.

While Republicans want to drill for oil in federal lands, others prefer to preserve them as they are — and have been for centuries.

“These are American treasures, and they want to go after them and limit them or get rid of them,” Haas said. “I don’t know what the thought process is except they want to give all this land to the fossil fuel industry.”