What’s happening with the public lands sell-off bill?
Senator Lee’s bill would have sold off Forest Service land up City Creek, Emigration, Parley’s, Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon, as well as millions of acres across central and southern Utah.
By now, we’re sure you’ve heard of Utah Senator Mike Lee’s plan to sell off over 3 MILLION ACRES of public land (Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management). The plan mounted massive public outrage and action, from folks all across the board politically.
As a Utah Senator, Lee should have known his constituents wouldn’t back this plan. This is a prime example of our elected officials prioritizing real estate developers over the needs of the people they were elected to represent.
Although public outreach likely helped, the bill was struck down by the Senate parliamentarian for violating budget reconciliation rules. Lee attempted to revise his plan, still including sale of public lands for development, but ultimately withdrew the land-sale provision entirely from the reconciliation bill. He cited inability to ensure the land would only go to Americans—not foreign entities or corporations—within the strict constraints of reconciliation.
This type of bipartisan outrage is exactly what we need when it comes to protecting public health and our environment. Just like our public lands, clean air and healthy communities belong to all of us—and they shouldn’t be sacrificed for the profits of billion-dollar industries. Whether it’s land sell-offs, pollution, or reckless development, we need leaders who put people first. UPHE will always fight to hold them accountable, because our health, our air, and our public lands are not for sale.
While this specific proposal was withdrawn, make no mistake—this isn’t over. Senator Lee has already made it clear he’s “just getting started,” and future attempts to sell off public lands under the guise of affordable housing or other political talking points are likely. We’ll be watching closely for any new versions of this plan, especially efforts that sidestep public input, environmental review, or protections for our natural spaces. Stay tuned—we’ll keep you informed and ready to act.
Salt Lake Tribune articles on the bill:
A conservative’s plan to sell public lands faces MAGA pushback