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Sen. Mike Lee Gives Entire Country Whiplash With New Public Land Sale Bill Revision

Originally posted on Powder | By Izzy Lidsky | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Just days after Utah Sen. Mike Lee announced revisions to the public land disposal section of the Republican tax and spending bill, he has further adjusted the bill.

Sen. Lee's announcement on Monday, June 23, 2025, removed all US Forest Service land from the bill's mandatory public land sale provision. His initial revision also promised to significantly reduce the amount of BLM land in the bill, only making land within 5 miles of a population center eligible, and promised that farmers, ranchers, and recreational users would have their interests protected.

While Lee's announcement feigned a massive change of heart from the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee leader, his mention of the Byrd Rule, and support of moving President Trump's bill forward, kept public lands advocates on edge, and with good reason.

On June 25, 2025, a further revised version of the bill was released, requiring between 0.25% and 0.5% (612,500 and 1.225 million acres) of the 245 million acres currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management to be sold.

The new text also specifies that sold land must be used for housing development or addressing infrastructure and amenities to support local housing needs, and must be within 5 miles of a population center. The bill's original text mandated the sale of 1.23-1.84 million acres of BLM land, making the latest text's "significant" reduction actually only a roughly 30% reduction of the top end of land sold.

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Throughout the roller coaster of Sen. Lee's contributions and adjustments to the bill, many outdoor non-profits and advocacy groups have loudly opposed it and the sale of public lands due to the potential implications for land conservation and recreation.

Outdoor Industry Association president Kent Ebersole released a statement following the latest revision saying "Chairman Lee’s latest proposal to sell off some of our most treasured public lands poses a renewed threat to the landscapes that are vital to local economies, small businesses, and the outdoor recreation community. The bill would significantly shrink BLM lands across 11 states, eliminate public input, bypass the environmental review process, and mandate the disposal of lands near population centers, putting accessible outdoor recreation at risk for millions of Americans. It’s time for Congress to move past this misguided and deeply unpopular idea and instead focus on policies that grow the $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation economy and support the gateway communities that depend on it."

Other organizations such as the Outdoor Alliance have created helpful resources for people to contact their Senators in regards to the bill. Outdoor Alliance's GIS Lab is currently working to map out the proposed lands for sale in the bill.

There have been no mentions of the bill's proposed budget cuts for the US Forest Service, NPS, climate change-related programs run by the USGS and NOAA, or other repealed environmental protections included in the bill throughout Sen. Lee's revisions.

This article first appeared on Powder and was syndicated with permission.

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