Why It Matters
Trust for Public Land is lobbying on the Farm Bill as the House bill, H.R. 7567, the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026. A Congressional Research Service primer describes its conservation policy provisions.
By the Numbers
The in-house team reported $150,000 for the third quarter, unchanged from the second quarter and up $135,000 from the third quarter of 2025.
Trust for Public Land also had a filing from Conservation Pathways LLC this quarter for $20,000, lobbyist Alan Front. The client's total across both registrants is $170,000. That is down $20,000 from the second quarter's $190,000 and up $105,000 from $65,000 in the third quarter of 2025. The second-quarter total included a $20,000 Smith Garson termination filing.
The in-house filing names four lobbyists:
- Jessica Montoya, senior director of federal affairs, park equity
- Bart Johnsen-Harris, director of federal climate change policy, a former intern for Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI)
- Reed Perry Jr., director of federal relations for trails and tribal lands, a former legislative aide to Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
- Mike Bybee, legislative director
Broader Context
Farm Bill. A letter signed by 233 organizations urges Congress to oppose the House Agriculture Committee's bill. It cites a $1 billion cut to a conservation program it calls oversubscribed. Signers include the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the League of Conservation Voters.
The Nature Conservancy urges passage of a farm bill that invests in conservation. It says the legislation provides about $6 billion a year for conservation and that its research estimates $1.58 in returns per federal dollar.
Land conservation funding. The Congressional Research Service reported that enacted fiscal 2026 Interior and Environment appropriations totaled $42.56 billion, $809 million below fiscal 2025. Rep. Mike Simpson introduced H.R. 9171, the fiscal 2027 Interior bill, on June 5.
Save the Redwoods League opposes redirecting Land and Water Conservation Fund money to deferred maintenance. It says the change would divert $900 million a year. Trust for Public Land commended appropriators' bipartisan funding agreement on Jan. 6.
Defense conservation. The filing lists the Department of Defense's Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) program. H.R. 1083, by Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), would amend REPI and had 18 cosponsors, including Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA). Its Senate companion is S. 439. The Department of Defense's 2026 REPI report says the program protected more than 1.4 million acres at 141 locations.
Land protection and trails. H.R. 105 would increase Land and Water Conservation Fund support for recreational public access projects on federal land. Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA) introduced the Active Transportation for Public Lands Act, H.R. 8514, on April 27.
Trust for Public Land is among the listed supporters of the Great American Outdoors Act 250, introduced June 10 by Rep. Huffman and Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.).
The Bottom Line
Across complete quarters, the clearest change is that Smith Garson ended its work for the client in the second quarter and has no third-quarter filing.
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