(The Center Square) – Colorado Democrats are leading the effort against legislation proposed by Senate Republicans that would sell off millions of acres of public lands.
The proposal is to add the provision to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the budget reconciliation measure passed by the House. It was detailed in a budget blueprint that was released last week by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
The senators’ plan would require the government to auction off between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. The sales would generate between $5 billion and $10 billion of income between fiscal years 2025 and 2034.
In total, the federal government owns roughly 640 million acres throughout the United States, or nearly one in three acres. That means, at most, this legislation would sell only 0.5% of all the federal land.
Democrats are pushing back.
“Our public lands are our most cherished heirlooms. They are American treasures that we hand down to future generations,” said U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colorado. “Our public lands are not for sale now, or ever. We stopped a similar effort in the House — we’ll stop this one, too.”
U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah and chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, is leading the initiative to sell the land. He said this move will help address a nationwide housing crisis, while providing more money to help the federal government pay off debt.
“I am proud to unveil this historic legislation that will power our country, unleash energy innovation and help countless American families prosper,” Lee said.
The land that would be sold are considered underutilized “isolated parcels.” Before deciding what land to sell, the bill stipulates that federal authorities should consult with state, local and tribal governments.
“The legislation specifically exempts national parks, national monuments, wilderness areas, national recreation areas and 11 other categories of federally protected land from sales to build much-needed housing for American families,” Lee said.
If the proposal is passed, land eligible for sale would come from 11 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, a Democrat who is also running for governor in the state, said he opposes the proposal.
“Colorado’s public lands should NOT be for sale to the highest bidder. I will always stand firm,” Weiser said. “That’s because public lands are for the public.”
Yet other leaders from those western states affected are in favor of the sale.
“These are important, commonsense policies for better energy and public lands strategy,” said Utah Gov. Spencer Cox. “Senator Lee deserves enormous credit for championing the use of certain federal lands for housing — especially in rural communities surrounded by federal land, and even in cases where federal land sits within city boundaries and could be better used for homes. I appreciate that the bill prioritizes bids from states and cities, includes strong safeguards, and puts some of the proceeds toward infrastructure to support new housing.”
The U.S. House has already voted against similar legislation this session, which would have sold federal lands in Utah and Nevada.
