Key Takeaways
- • Blackstone and Yellowstone Forever, with Tallgrass as a co-sponsor, established a $105 million fund for Yellowstone National Park, signed at the Old Faithful Inn with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum present.
- • The op-ed argues the gift was staged with the National Park Service's logo and a Park Service-published photo credited to Blackstone, raising independence and conflict-of-interest concerns under the agency's Director's Order 21.
- • Tallgrass, which Blackstone owns, is promising a $35 million visitor center at Norris Geyser Basin and is developing the Cheyenne Power Hub gas-fired plant for a Google data center in Wyoming.
- • The author ties the donation to Blackstone's housing and political activity, citing Stephen Schwarzman's campaign giving of more than $66 million to Republican campaigns and super PACs since 2023.
- • This is an opinion column (Substack) critical of the arrangement; its characterizations are the author's and not independently verified in the piece.
Summary
At a ceremony on the deck of the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone National Park, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Blackstone's global head of infrastructure Sean Klimczak, Tallgrass CEO Crystal Heter, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon and Lisa Diekmann of Yellowstone Forever signed documents establishing a $105 million fund for Yellowstone, according to the column. The banner displayed the logos of Yellowstone Forever, Blackstone, and Tallgrass alongside the National Park Service arrowhead. The acting director of the National Park Service attended the event.
The author, writing as an opinion columnist on Substack, argues the event illustrates a pattern of weakening federal agencies while relying on private money from well-connected firms. The column notes that when the Park Service announced the gift on its website, the photograph used was credited to Blackstone. It also cites the agency's Director's Order 21, which says private donations should supplement rather than replace federal funding and requires scrutiny of potential conflicts of interest. The column acknowledges that the presence of Blackstone's logo does not by itself prove a violation.
The column states that Tallgrass is promising a $35 million visitor center at Norris Geyser Basin. Blackstone owns Tallgrass, which operates more than 10,000 miles of pipelines and is developing the multibillion-dollar Cheyenne Power Hub to serve a Google AI data center in Wyoming. The author notes that the Bureau of Land Management has approved Tallgrass-related carbon storage projects involving federal subsurface rights, including one beneath more than 600,000 acres in Wyoming.
The column also criticizes Blackstone's single-family rental business, citing a figure that rents rose an average of 38 percent in San Diego after Blackstone bought 66 rental properties there. It further references Stephen Schwarzman's political donations, including $5 million each to MAGA Inc. and a White House ballroom contribution, and more than $66 million to Republican campaigns and super PACs since 2023. These claims are presented by the author and are not independently verified in the piece.
The author, writing as an opinion columnist on Substack, argues the event illustrates a pattern of weakening federal agencies while relying on private money from well-connected firms. The column notes that when the Park Service announced the gift on its website, the photograph used was credited to Blackstone. It also cites the agency's Director's Order 21, which says private donations should supplement rather than replace federal funding and requires scrutiny of potential conflicts of interest. The column acknowledges that the presence of Blackstone's logo does not by itself prove a violation.
The column states that Tallgrass is promising a $35 million visitor center at Norris Geyser Basin. Blackstone owns Tallgrass, which operates more than 10,000 miles of pipelines and is developing the multibillion-dollar Cheyenne Power Hub to serve a Google AI data center in Wyoming. The author notes that the Bureau of Land Management has approved Tallgrass-related carbon storage projects involving federal subsurface rights, including one beneath more than 600,000 acres in Wyoming.
The column also criticizes Blackstone's single-family rental business, citing a figure that rents rose an average of 38 percent in San Diego after Blackstone bought 66 rental properties there. It further references Stephen Schwarzman's political donations, including $5 million each to MAGA Inc. and a White House ballroom contribution, and more than $66 million to Republican campaigns and super PACs since 2023. These claims are presented by the author and are not independently verified in the piece.
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