Losing *OUR* public lands?

[Jfujan]

The Senate drafted the budget-reconciliation bill and it would require the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to sell 0.5 to 0.75 percent of their land, roughly 2.2 to 3.3 million acres in eleven western states.

The draft targets federal land in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

This skips the normal NEPA public-comment process . Those acres belong to every American; they support hunting, fishing, camping, wildlife habitat, and general outdoor-recreation. Once in private hands, they can be fenced, paved, or flipped for profit, and that shared value is gone forever .

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee votes the week of June 24, and the full Senate could vote before the July 4 recess with only 51 votes needed to pass.

***If you care at all about public lands, and do not want any amount sold off please take 5 minutes and contact the ENR committee, and then your states representatives.***

Committee roster and email links: https://www.energy.senate.gov/members

This is Chairman Mike Lee’s of Utah's ENR reconciliation draft. Call the committee desk at 202-224-4971 or use each member’s email form on that page and ask them to remove the public land-sale section.

Email or call your two state senators: https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Capitol switchboard is 202-224-3121 which connects you by phone. Use the contact forms at the link above if you prefer email.

Write a message expressing why every acre of your public lands are important to you, or at the very least use the following:

“I am a constituent who values public land. Please vote no on any bill that sells or privatizes BLM or Forest Service acres.”

Every call and short email is logged, and a strong early push can persuade key senators to pull this provision before our public acres vanish behind No Trespassing signs.

If you contact them (please do), comment back here to keep this post going. Takes 5 minutes!

More information:
https://www.wilderness.org/articles...on-acres-public-lands-eligible-sale-senr-bill

 

[Hopapa]

thank you for the reminder!

 

[Jfujan]

thank you for the reminder!

I saw there was another post on it, but i figured you can't have too many posts listing their contact information. That is the only way we can influence.

 

[2weak2flex]

Messages sent to Senators. This will be a travesty if this doesn’t get removed from this bill.

 

[Jfujan]

Messages sent to Senators. This will be a travesty if this doesn’t get removed from this bill.

Thanks. Even if they claim the targeted tracts are of "little usefulness", once we accept that any acre of ground can be sold, the idea will spread. This precedent is unacceptable.

 

[Q child]

I know of about 47 senators who will vote to keep these lands public.
Contacted my senators.

 

[KurtR]

Thread 'Senate vote public lands sale'

Jun 12, 2025

Newest amendments are disposal of 2 million acres. Here is a link to contact your senators and tell them you value public lands.

U.S. Senate: Contacting U.S. Senators

www.senate.gov

The Senate Is Considering Selling Public Land. It Could Be About 2 Million Acres

The Senate is working towards a proposal to sell what's potentially a 2-million acre fire-sale of federal public land.

www.outdoorlife.com

• Jason Snyder
• Replies: 742
• Forum: General Discussion Forum

• 

Thread 'Nowhere to Hunt!'

Jun 16, 2025

Wake up boys. Trumps Big Beautiful Bill includes the sneaky provision to sell off our Federal hunting lands.

Yep. That's land you and I planned to hunt this fall!

Here is what Backcountry Hunters and Anglers has to say about it:
https://www.backcountryhunters.org/...ell_off_up_to_3_million_acres_of_public_lands

and

Here is what Outdoor Life has to say about it:
https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/public-land-sell-off-senate/

• Archerichards
• Replies: 53
• Forum: General Discussion Forum

• 

D

Thread 'MAP - Public Lands for Sale in US Senate Bill'

Jun 15, 2025

This article from Outdoor Life includes a map of lands that would be for sale in the new Senate bill. Major impacts in my home state. I'll let the map speak for itself.

Now is the time to call your Senator & Representative.

https://www.outdoorlife.com/conservation/public-land-sell-off-senate/

Contact your Senator
Contact your US House Representative

• DesertPinstripes
• Replies: 313
• Forum: Conservation

• 

Thread '"DOI will work with HUD to identify lands to offload for the development of affordable homes"'

Mar 20, 2025

DOI proposing to transfer federal land to states for the express purpose of development for profit.

Is this still "fear mongering"?

• grainhog
• Replies: 423
• Forum: Conservation

• 

Some more reading all in one place

 

[pacoalcracker]

sell some now to pay off the national debt..it only gets worse the longer we wait. selling some is better than losing a lot more of it later.

 

[colelivaditis]

@pacoalcracker, paying off the national debt how? Spending is out of control. We could sell every acre of federal land in this country, and those in Government would still find a create way to spend it on their pet projects.... with a multi trillion dollar deficit, a permanent sale of our lands is not even a temporary fix.

 

[realunlucky]

sell some now to pay off the national debt..it only gets worse the longer we wait. selling some is better than losing a lot more of it later.

Cut it by how much? What's the cash number?
Saying it and not doing it are how we got in this mess.

I'm sure your favorite politicians will get richer, the debt will continue to grow and we'll have less national assets.



Sent from my SM-S926U using Tapatalk

 

[idahodave]

Turned my group of buddies loose on this today. All of them submitted comments.

Don’t know that it’ll make a difference, but at least I’ll be able to look myself in the mirror.

Dave

 

[Zak406]

Contacted multiple people today and sent a ton of emails. From what I understand mike Lee out of Utah is the one that’s gung ho on this. I can’t imagine this happens though. It would be political suicide. That is my gut feeling though. It may not matter for or too Lee but it will matter to many other politicians who are in office out west

 

[Jfujan]

Contacted multiple people today and sent a ton of emails. From what I understand mike Lee out of Utah is the one that’s gung ho on this. I can’t imagine this happens though. It would be political suicide. That is my gut feeling though. It may not matter for or too Lee but it will matter to many other politicians who are in office out west

I would have to agree that it's unlikely, but the time to knock it down is early rather than after the Senate votes on it!

 

[Zak406]

I would have to agree that it's unlikely, but the time to knock it down is early rather than after the Senate votes on it!

I totally agree with you I just doubt in my heart of hearts this actually makes it to the table. I could be wrong but as I stated prior.

I’ve called

My local senator
Both of montanas
Lee - never got call back but left him a long message
2 local reps to me in addition to local senator
Emailed trump and Vance
Emailed with back country hunter and anglers.

We will see.

 

[ODB]

Mike Lee was just on Glenn Beck talking about it. When the podcast drops go listen to it.

 

[packgoatguy]

This is an easy way to share your voice about congress selling off our public lands. RMEF has it set up to add your address and they fill in the rest it looks like.

Issues & Advocacy

Effortlessly contact your state and federal lawmakers to make your voice heard on issues that impact wildlife and elk country.

www.rmef.org

 

[mxgust]

@pacoalcracker, paying off the national debt how? Spending is out of control. We could sell every acre of federal land in this country, and those in Government would still find a create way to spend it on their pet projects.... with a multi trillion dollar deficit, a permanent sale of our lands is not even a temporary fix.

This is a key point. That's not the reason they are selling public land. They aren't serious about the deficit. This is a convenient excuse to do the thing they have always wanted to do in order to enrich themselves and their buddies. This is a lie, same thing as using it for "affordable housing"

 

[AirborneEScouter]

Thanks for sharing this

 

[volunteerconservationist]

Mike Lee was just on Glenn Beck talking about it. When the podcast drops go listen to it.

He can talk to whoever however long he wants and it will never be a good idea to me. Bad precedent. Utah signed away any rights to any federal lands as a condition to be granted Statehood. There are a million other ways to raise money or cut spending to tackle the debt or to create affordable housing.

 

[ODB]

He can talk to whoever however long he wants and it will never be a good idea to me. Bad precedent. Utah signed away any rights to any federal lands as a condition to be granted Statehood. There are a million other ways to raise money or cut spending to tackle the debt or to create affordable housing.

Just saying if anyone is interested in hearing straight from the horse’s mouth to stay informed and learn how others think.

If not, that’s your prerogative.