On Wednesday, June 11, the U.S. Senate released a provision in President Trump’s H.R.1 – One Big Beautiful Bill Act that calls for the sale of approximately 2.2 million to 3.3 million acres of federal land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service. … According to the tax and spending bill, lands in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming could be sold off for energy and/or housing development over the next five years. … The Greater Yellowstone Coalition wrote via press release that the privatization of federal lands could lead to the loss of public access, negatively impact local economies and result in development that harms wildlife habitat and water resources. “Our national public lands are not a luxury, they’re our legacy,” Greater Yellowstone Coalition Executive Director Scott Christensen wrote. “These are outdoor spaces that connect us to each other, fuel the economies of western states and provide clean drinking water to millions of Americans downstream.”

Other public land news:

• American Rivers: News release: American Rivers’ Statement on Senate proposal to sell millions of acres of public lands and jeopardize clean drinking water
• Outside magazine (Boulder, Colo.): There’s a new plan to sell off public lands. It would impact millions of acres in Western states.
• The Nevada Independent (Las Vegas): GOP push to sell off public lands revived in Senate. Here’s how it could affect Nevada
• The Land Desk: Blog: Sen. Mike Lee revives public land sell-off bid