New Assault on Public Lands Betrays Will of American People

Defenders of Wildlife slammed Senator Mike Lee’s (R-UT) most recent attempt to sell off our nation’s public lands through a provision in the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill for what it is – a brazen betrayal of the will of the American people. Sen. Lee’s previous attempt, which received widespread bipartisan backlash, was rejected by the Senate parliamentarian.  

“No matter how many times, or how many ways, Senator Lee reintroduces this legislation, it will not change the fact that the American people are dead set against selling off our public lands,” said Vera Smith, director of the national forests and public lands program at Defenders of Wildlife. “America’s iconic wildlife like pronghorn and sage-grouse depend on public lands and selling them off to pay for giveaways to billionaires is unconscionable.”

Lee’s most recent attempt still proposes to mandate the sale of 600,000 to 1.2 million acres of BLM-administered public lands. In contrast to the prior version, it requires that lands be sold within five miles of undefined population centers. The effect of this change will be to sell off lands that are treasured by local communities for outdoor recreation and that support local outdoor recreation economies. It will also subject lands next to National Parks and areas that are vital habitats for imperiled species to the development of luxury real estate.