Mandate to sell federal lands removed from reconciliation bill

A controversial mandate to sell off millions of acres of federal lands was removed from the reconciliation budget bill, though its supporters are pushing to keep it alive.

Senator Mike Lee (R) of Utah proposed the insertion of the land sale into Republicans’ massive budget package. He did remove it, but vowed to bring it back. The measure would have required the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to sell 2 to 3 million acres of public land over the next five years, according to analysis by researchers at University of Colorado in Boulder.

The land would have been restricted for housing and housing-related infrastructure, but the measure did not specify that the housing would need to be affordable.

While the federal government would have had to consult with state and local governments, it included no official process of public participation.

Sandy Bahr, Director at the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, joined “Arizona Horizon” to explain the mandate itself and why it should remain on the budget bill.

Land is chosen for the program through a series of broad criteria that makes it eligible for housing infrastructure. Arizona has an abundance of land that falls under these guidelines and could potentially draw the interest of potential investors.

“We had 14 million acres in Arizona that were eligible for the sell-off,” Bahr said. “These are not lands with infrastructure.”

The goal of the mandate was to promote the building of housing, but did not mention what type of housing. Critics brought up concerns surrounding wealthy investors buying lands that compose most of Arizona’s many national parks.

“There was a pushback through the country from average people, but also bipartisan pushback,” Bahr said. “There was some republican senators, including Idaho, who said, ‘we don’t like this’.”

Bills to sell public lands are proposed every year according to Bahr, and often public officials disagree with the general public on how these lands should be used.

For more information, the segment is available to watch above.