The 1972 act creating the park requires that the National Park Service and Department of the Interior “shall preserve the recreation area, as far as possible, in its natural setting, and protect it from development and uses which would destroy the scenic beauty and natural character of the area.”
As part of the national park system, the land also has to adhere to the Park Service Organic Act, which said it must “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”
But forthcoming legislation would aim to repeal those requirements. Pelosi’s office confirmed that a House representative is expected to propose a bill that would remove key environmental protections governing the island, allowing it to be transferred out of the National Park Service’s control.
“Should reason not prevail and Republicans bring this absurdity before the Congress, Democrats will use every parliamentary and budgetary tactic available to stop the lunacy,” Pelosi said.
The move builds on an earlier attack on the park, when, in February, Trump signed a DOGE-inspired executive order requiring the federal agency that runs the Presidio to submit a review of its operations and shut down any unnecessary functions, aiming to all but eliminate it.
The Presidio Trust has said that because of the tight law that created it, and its financial self-sufficiency, it has not had to make any changes to its function since the review.
It’s not yet clear if the prison would be transferred back to the Bureau of Prisons, but Pelosi’s office confirmed that the plan is to transfer Alcatraz out of the Department of the Interior’s control.
Reopening Alcatraz would first require legislation to be proposed — and passed — by a two-thirds majority vote in Congress to repeal its environmental protections and shift control from the Department of the Interior. Only then could it be transferred to the BOP.
Still, critics have said reviving a prison on the island in the San Francisco Bay would be costly — and inefficient.
Alcatraz was shut down due to high operating costs, which the BOP estimated in 1959 were about three times as high as any other federal facility. At the time, the site also required an estimated $3 million to $5 million in restoration and maintenance work.
At its highest occupancy, the site that now serves as a tourist destination housed less than 1% of federal prisoners in the country, with a usual occupancy between 260 and 275, according to the BOP.
Bondi and Burgum are expected to be accompanied by a Fox News crew and make appearances at Muir Woods and the Presidio later in the day.
