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Renewed Threat to Public Lands as Senate Proposes Selling Off up to 3.3 Million Acres
Mere weeks after the House of Representatives proposed, and then quickly stripped, a plan to sell off 500,000 acres of public lands as part of a budget reconciliation bill, the US Senate has introduced a version of the bill that would sell off between 2 and 3 million acres of public land.
The proposal, introduced late last night, would require the US government to sell off between 0.5 and 0.75% of lands managed by the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management — an area potentially more than six times greater than that proposed in the original sell-off plan and four times the size of Rhode Island. The sell-off would target lands in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington state, and Wyoming.
“This package is truly the gravest threat to public lands we have ever seen moving through Congress,” said Louis Geltman, VP of Policy and Government Affairs at advocacy organization Outdoor Alliance. “Beyond the flagrant assault on public lands, it would be hard to imagine a ‘process’ more ripe for abuse and cronyism than what is spec’d out here.”
“Fire Sale on Public Lands” or Affordable Housing Win?
In a video statement released on Wednesday, Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) defended the plan as a way to “get Washington, D.C. out of the way of communities that are just trying to grow” and expand housing and development opportunities in remote locales.
“This does not touch national parks, national monuments or wilderness,” he stressed. “We’re talking about isolated parcels that are difficult to manage or better suited for housing and infrastructure.”
Yet unlike the House proposal, which limited itself to selling lands already identified for disposal, the new plan would put all multi-use Forest Service and BLM land on the potential chopping block. This could include vital areas for outdoor recreation.
Outdoor conservation and recreation advocacy groups have condemned the proposal.
“This is a fire sale of America’s public lands,” said Daniel Hart of the National Parks Conservation Alliance in a written statement. “With millions of acres on the line, we are needlessly risking landscapes that protect wildlife habitat, provide clean water and recreation access with zero community input or environmental oversight … These lands belong to the American people, not the highest bidder.”
Besides the proposed sell-off, the package includes other provisions that have been decried by outdoor enthusiasts, such as requiring new oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, weakening National Environmental Policy Act reviews, and prioritizing oil, gas, and timber development on public lands while reducing protections for recreation, wildlife, and climate.
“If you take action on just one thing this year … please make it this.”
Public pressure helped eliminate the proposed 500,000-acre sell-off from the House’s version of the budget reconciliation bill. Nonprofits are now urging outdoor enthusiasts to mobilize again to contact their lawmakers and voice opposition to the Senate’s proposed Senate package.
“The outdoor community is a hugely important voice in preventing some of the worst attacks on public lands. It’s time to speak up to your Senators, and the clock is ticking. Take a minute to write—or better yet, call—your lawmakers today. If you take action on just one thing this year—or maybe ever—please make it this,” wrote Outdoor Alliance in a blog post.
The organization is urging supporters to use its quick action form to contact lawmakers today.
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Comments 7
Kelly, I wholeheartedly support the preservation of our National Forests, Monuments, and Parks, especially since I have enjoyed camping, fishing and backpacking in them for almost sixty years. But to characterize the sale of 3 million acres as a “fire sale” and to illustrate it with a picture of the Sierra National Forest sign is highly misleading. According to the Department of the Interior, the federal government controls roughly 27% of the land in the United States (or approximately 640,000,000 acres). In Nevada alone, 80% of the land is under federal control. Since the current proposal does not allow any sales of National Park, Wilderness or Monument land, it’s effect would be highly negligible and not noticeable by those of us who regularly utilize federal lands for recreation. Of course, if there is an attempt to expand the sales to include currently protected areas, then I will definitely oppose it, but that is definitely not the case in the current proposal.
Forest Service are on the specifically included in the Senate’s proposal. That’s probably why the photo of Sierra National Forest was included. It’s not misleading, Sierra National Forest could be up for sale.
Thank you for making us aware of this. I’m contacting my representatives today.
A map of the proposed land for sale might ease some fears. It is hard to make an intelligent decision without all of the facts.
Not saying this is what would happen, but Chinese nationalists and companies have been buying US land. It would be an option and highly undesirable if it went to a foreign country in the sale.
Yep. Only thing I got from the article is stroking fear.Really not much real information. Working American citizens need a place to live. This is what public land is for. If you want it untouched and only looked at from afar. Buy it. Available to all for purchase. Im For It.
This article is mostly a lot of hand waving and gasping about what might happen or could happen. Could we get a few facts in play so we can make an intelligent decision? This sort of rush job without research isn’t doing anybody any good.