New Proposal Would Sell Off Millions of Acres of U.S. Public Lands
Specifically, the Republican majority on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is proposing that the U.S. government sell up to 3 million acres of public land. Why? The committee deduces that, by selling these millions of acres, revenue directed to the U.S. Treasury would help to hit revenue goals in the federal budget.
Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), chairman of the committee, on Wednesday released the 69-page draft bill, which lists Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land in most Western states as "eligible for disposal." Those states include Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
And, as first reported by Outdoor Life, Montana is conspicuously absent from the list of states possibly affected if the bill passes. The outlet reports that Montana's Congressional delegation has been vocal in their opposition to land sales or transfers.
The bill's language calls for the "disposal not less than .50 percent and not more than 0.75 percent of National Forest System land, and shall dispose of all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to those tracts selected for disposal."
The bill claims that selling off the public lands "would address local housing needs (including housing supply and affordability) or any associated community needs."Federally protected lands, such as national parks and national monuments, are safe from the sale. But as Outdoor Life reports, a sale of this magnitude would be "by far the biggest proposed federal land sale in modern U.S. history." The outlet also reports that Republican leadership stripped the land-sale provision from the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill" before kicking it up to the Senate, where Republicans have a wider majority versus a slim majority in the House.
The bill, even if passed, would face a significant uphill battle, given that the bill's language also calls for the Secretary of the Interior to "consult with the Governor of the State in which the nominated tract is located regarding the suitability of the area for residential development; each applicable unit of local government; and each applicable Indian Tribe."
In an effort to calm the waters among avid hunters and fishermen who have long opposed the sale of public lands, Lee shared video assuring the conservation community that they will not be affected.
'To our hunters, anglers, and sportsmen, you will not lose access to the lands you love," he said in the video. "Washington has proven it can't manage this land. This bill puts it in better hands.'
New Proposal Would Sell Off Millions of Acres of U.S. Public Lands first appeared on Men's Journal on Jun 12, 2025
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