Elephant in a China Shop?

It has been reported that the Covid-19 pandemic has been used to rush through changes to  USA public land protections, giving access to companies wanting to exploit fossil fuels, minerals and forestry (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/apr/30/public-lands-sale-trump-coronavirus-environmental-regulations). Once these lands are gone, they are gone (in spite of any claims about remedial activity). A pity, as it seems obvious that they are worth far more as they are in terms of providing recreation for US citizens and stimulating tourism. The intended extraction activities will also further drive climate change as well as increasing erosion. It seems to be a very short-sighted activity.