WASHINGTON (BRAIN) — For the second time during negotiations of the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill, legislation to sell millions of acres of public lands has been withdrawn.
The latest legislation introduced last week involved selling an estimated 1.2 million acres currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management. It called for mandatory sale of 0.25-0.5% of BLM land. The bill focused on lands within five miles of a "population center."
According to the Outdoor Alliance, that narrower geographic focus meant the pool of eligible land was much smaller and made it more likely that recreation areas near communities would be targeted for sale.
Reps. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), and Sens. James Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) spoke out against the bill.
“Public lands are essential to our mission of transforming the U.S. into the best place in the world to ride a bike,” said PeopleForBikes CEO Jenn Dice in a statement. “From mountain bike trails to gravel routes, these lands provide unmatched opportunities for millions of Americans to experience the joy of riding a bike. We are grateful for the bipartisan leaders in Congress who successfully defended our shared outdoor spaces, and we thank our members, the bike industry, and the broader outdoor community for standing up to protect access to these vital places.”
Introduced by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) last week and withdrawn over the weekend, the legislation came after a previous proposal that would have sold as many as 3.3 million acres of land across 11 Western states managed by the BLM and the Forest Service. That was rejected by the Senate parliamentarian late last week. Unlike previous proposals that largely limited sales to lands already identified for disposal, it included any multiple-use Forest Service or BLM land, including those for outdoor recreation.
"Outdoor Alliance is pleased to see Sen. Lee remove his provision to sell off public lands from the Senate budget reconciliation bill,” wrote Adam Cramer, Outdoor Alliance CEO, in an email to BRAIN. “We are grateful to the millions of outdoor enthusiasts who spoke up about keeping public lands public in the last few weeks — this victory is because of your voices. We are also grateful to the lawmakers who spoke out to ensure that this country continues to protect public lands and waters for all Americans."
