Measure To Sell Off 500,000 Acres of Public Land Struck From “Big, Beautiful Bill” During 11th Hour Hearing

In a victory for conservationists, language that would have allowed for the sale of half a million acres of public land in Nevada and Utah was removed from a sweeping budget reconciliation bill before the bill cleared the House Rules Committee late last night.

The House Natural Resources Committee’s move to add the controversial amendment to the bill during a secretive late-night vote on May 7 had raised serious concerns among public land advocates nationwide. Local leaders from the affected areas had vocally opposed the amendment, yet their concerns were reportedly ignored until the public lands sell-off was suddenly and unceremoniously stripped from the bill during last night’s hearing.

Although the removal of the language is being celebrated, the threat to America’s public lands is far from over. The specter of a possible public lands sell-off still hangs over the national discourse, and the sprawling legislation currently in question — which has now cleared the final committee hurdle needed to introduce the bill for a floor vote — still includes a number of other threats to conservation and the public process.

The Scope of the Amendment

The amendment, introduced by Reps. Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy (R-UT), would have authorized land sales managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. Little explanation was offered as to why these particular parcels were chosen or how the sales would genuinely benefit the public.

Preliminary analysis by Outdoor Alliance’s GIS Lab revealed the scale of this proposed sell-off, which encompassed far more than the originally reported 11,000 acres. In Nevada alone, over 400,000 acres would have been earmarked for disposal or exchange.

Furthermore, analysis shows that proposed sell-offs in Utah included popular areas for outdoor recreation, such as mountain biking and OHV trails in the Hurricane Cliffs, climbing in Coral Canyon Ridge, the Green Valley race course, the world-renowned bikepacking route called the Plateau Passage, and the Virgin River, a favorite for camping, paddling, and whitewater in both Nevada and Utah.

This Land Is Your Land

At the heart of the issue is the principle that decisions regarding public lands should be made with utmost transparency and robust public input. These lands, managed by federal agencies, belong to all Americans and provide irreplaceable resources for recreation, wildlife, ranching, and natural ecosystems. Bypassing established processes undermines democratic participation and risks irreversible damage to your ability and your right to access these lands.

The idea that these lands belong to the public is a cornerstone of American land policy. Photo taken on public land.

Additional Concerning Details of the Amendment

Further compounding these concerns, the land sell-offs were just one problematic component of this bill. In its current form, it still includes language that would allow extractive industries to bypass NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act) and judicial review, mandate offshore oil and gas drilling, and give timber companies greater control over public lands.

Additionally, the bill proposes significant cuts to funding and staff at the National Park Service and threatens to open up the headwaters of the Boundary Waters for mining, putting America’s most-visited Wilderness area at risk.

“From weakening public input, to polluting iconic recreation areas, to outright selling public lands, this reconciliation bill would have far-reaching consequences for outdoor recreation across the U.S. Outdoor Alliance recommends that lawmakers reject the bill as written and instead advance a more holistic vision for public lands that supports recreation access and sustains the $1.2 trillion outdoor economy,” stated Jamie Ervin, Senior Policy Manager at Outdoor Alliance ahead of last night’s hearing.

Bipartisan Pushback

A number of Republicans in the House had expressed strong opposition to public land sales remaining in the bill prior to last night, including Ryan Zinke (MT-02), who said, “I cannot and will not vote to sell public lands.”

This bill is expected to move through the full House this week, which gives the public a small window to act on the public lands threats that still remain in the bill. Advocates are urging citizens to contact their representatives in Congress. The call to action is clear: protect open governmental processes, ensure strong and sufficient funding for public land management agencies, and safeguard vital programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which plays a crucial role in preserving natural spaces. 

Take Action Now

Advocacy groups mobilized ahead of last night’s hearing to let representatives know that millions of Americans support public lands. The removal of the public land sell-off from this bill illustrates that collective action is effective.

The “big, beautiful bill” must now pass a floor vote in the House, at which point it would advance to the Senate, where further negotiation can still alter the contents of the legislation. The threat to public lands is by no means over, so it’s more important now than ever to take action.

Outdoor Alliance has established a quick-action form to help send personalized letters to their members of Congress in both houses. If legislators clearly understand their constituents’ strong opposition to giving away or exploiting public lands and rolling back environmental protections, it remains possible to remove the most harmful provisions for these lands from the bill.