Trump administration weighs land swap that would transfer part of Yosemite to private owner, document sent to Congress says

The Trump administration is considering a land swap that would transfer a portion of Yosemite National Park to a private company, according to a National Park Service document submitted to Congress and reviewed by The Hill.

The document states that a landowner is seeking to connect its property with a National Park Service road, creating the basis for the proposed exchange, The Hill reported. The filing describes the issue as one connected to access and adjoining lands rather than a routine boundary adjustment, the report said.

Under the proposal described in the congressional document, the government would exchange parkland interests for an arrangement intended to meet the private landowner’s connectivity request. The Hill’s reporting characterizes the administration’s action as an effort to pursue the land swap as a federal matter through the congressional process.

The plan would raise questions familiar to federal public-lands oversight, including how access decisions are balanced against statutory duties to protect national park resources and how any exchange would be structured to preserve public purposes for the land remaining in federal hands.

The Hill did not, in its summary, provide the acreage involved, the identity of the private company, or the specific legal mechanism referenced in the congressional submission. It also did not detail any proposed mitigation measures, appraisals, or required approvals beyond the existence of the document and the administration’s consideration of a swap tied to the road connection request.

It is not yet clear what the timeline would be for any final decision, or whether Congress would take additional action before any transfer could proceed. If the proposal advances, the next steps would likely depend on further review of the land exchange terms, including compliance with applicable federal public-land requirements and any congressional oversight tied to the submission.