Mountain Bikers Celebrate as Public Lands Sell-Off Amendment Removed from Reconciliation Bill

Yahoo

23-05-2025

The International Mountain Biking Association and other outdoor recreation and conservation organizations are breathing a sigh of relief after an amendment to sell off nearly 500,000 acres in Utah and Nevada was removed from the Reconciliation Bill that passed the House last night at 10 p.m. ET.
'Outdoor advocates were heard loud and clear: Our public lands are not for sale,' Todd Keller, Director of Government Affairs, International Mountain Bicycling Association, said in a statement today. 'IMBA thanks the mountain bikers, the climbers, the hunters, the hikers and every outdoor user group for coming together on this vital issue. Public lands are essential for trails, outdoor recreation, thriving economies and healthy communities. We all must remain engaged to protect our public lands and uphold the public process that enables those protections.'
The House Natural Resources Committee added the amendment to President Donald Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' that would sell some 500,000 acres in Utah and Nevada to local governments, which then could sell that land to private entities. Land adjacent to Zion National Park in Utah and surrounding Las Vegas, Nevada, was among the land proposed for sell-off to help off-set tax cuts and costs proposed in the bill.
BLM and U.S. Forest Service land used by mountain bikers, including Bear Claw Poppy Trail and Hurricane Cliffs Trail systems in Utah, would have potentially been off-limits in the future had the amendment not been stricken.
Supporters of the amendment said it would have generated revenue for the federal government and provided land for housing. Detractors said it would lock the public out of outdoor recreation areas and benefit only wealthy private citizens and corporations, as well as paving the way for even greater public land sell-offs in the future. Programs such as Medicaid and other social and environmental provisions remain under threat in the bill.
'The [Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership] is encouraged to see provisions removed from the House budget reconciliation bill that would sell off public lands. Hunters and anglers stepped into the arena to make their voices heard, and members of Congress listened—thank you,' said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. 'In particular, we thank Congressmen Zinke, Downing, and Simpson for their strident advocacy on behalf of America's hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationists. We also appreciate the efforts of the House Natural Resources Committee and House leadership on their role in an outcome that maintains the public's ability to weigh in on actions affecting our public lands. We remain committed to working with lawmakers to resolve challenges with public lands management and to find solutions that are in the public interest.'
Former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke (R-MT), Rep. Troy Downing (R-MT) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) played crucial roles in having the amendment stricken from the greater bill. Zinke, along with Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) created the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus to help protect public lands.
'This was my San Juan Hill; I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands,' Zinke said in a press release that goes on to support the bill. 'Once land is sold, we will never get it back. God isn't creating more land.'
While the IMBA and other organizations celebrate the removal of the public land sell-off amendment, conservation and environment groups remain concerned about remaining provisions in the bill that would increase leasing on public lands for mining, increase royalty rates for oil and gas projects, and ease environmental protection.
The bill narrowly passed the House in a 215-214 vote Wednesday night. The bill now heads to the Senate for debate and a final vote. If passed, it then goes to the President's desk for signature.