someone posted a state / federal land map recently. The amount of land owned by the federal .gov in alaska and nevada is obscene.
Yes, someone wishes to keep the West and Alaska undeveloped for the most part. No better way than to deny the private sector private property rights. Even Prudhoe Bay is just oil and gas rights--subsurface mineral rights. If they want gravel out of the Sag River they need a special permit. We might wonder who wishes this. The Federal gov't is probably not the interested party. I'm not into conspiracies unless I make them up myself.