Collective community action helps spare public lands
The measure to sell off 1.2 million acres of land is removed from the Senate budget bill
By Sophie Stuber, Telluride Daily Planet
After an overwhelming public outcry against a proposal to sell off millions of acres of public lands, the provision was removed from the Senate tax and spending bill on Saturday. The plan would have seen the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) sell up to 1.225 million acres of lands across 11 western states — dedicated to developing new housing — exempting national parks, national monuments and designated wilderness areas.
Although these public lands were intended to be used for housing, there was no provision mandating that it be deed-restricted or affordable housing. The latest iteration of the amendment also removed clauses that encouraged first selling isolated land tracts as well as not allowing sales for “less than fair market value.”
The measure ended up being unpopular, and people on both sides of the aisle came out against the sell-off of public lands.
“We have to speak up against this drastic shift of public lands policy towards private interests and extraction. We have to remember the intrinsic benefits of these ecosystems are irreplaceable,” Sheep Mountain Alliance program director Ruthie Boyd told the Daily Planet.
The San Miguel County Board of Commissioner (BOCC) submitted several letters in opposition to any measures to sell off public lands.
Colorado’s representatives Jeff Hurd, Republican, and Joe Neguse, Democrat, released a joint statement urging the Senate to remove public lands sales from the bill.
“Colorado’s public lands belong to the people and are held in trust for future generations. They don’t belong to political appointees or outside interests. Neither of our districts asked for this land sale, and any efforts to sell off these shared spaces are deeply unpopular with the hunters, ranchers, fishermen, recreationists, conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts,” the statement reads.
“It’s time for folks on both sides of the aisle to come together for the common good and stand with us in our bipartisan effort to be good stewards of America’s prized public lands,” Hurd and Neguse concluded.
Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, had originally introduced an even more extensive proposal that would have mandated the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service to select and sell between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres of public lands that would also prioritize oil, gas and timber interests on public lands. Locally, some of the most cherished areas in the San Juans, including Ice Lake Basin, Grant/Swamp Pass and the the Jud Wiebe Trail area, would have been eligible for sale — as well as much of Telluride Ski Resort terrain, since the current legislation does not exclude special use permits for ski areas.
After strong opposition from public lands advocates on both sides of the aisle, Lee walked back the proposal and excluded Forest Service lands from the updated proposal — but opponents said it was not enough.
“The removal of Mike Lee's provision to sell 3 million acres of public lands is of course a big win, but the fight isn't over,” Boyd said. “We must remain unwavering in our support for all public lands. Call your senators. Don't let them forget, this is one of the most unpopular ideas they could possibly have.”
After continued opposition, including from the Republican party, the public lands measure was struck entirely from the budget bill. Several Republican senators in the West said they wanted to remove the proposal, and hunters and anglers also spoke out against the proposal.
“Public lands are the whole core of where we can go and enjoy our outdoor activities — our hunting and fishing,” Craig Grother, Colorado board member for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA) told the Daily Planet in June.
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers has been working with San Miguel County and several other counties in Colorado, as well as the state legislature, to draft resolutions opposing the wholesale sale or transfer of public lands.
“We're obviously wanting to keep public lands and have them stay public. It's our inheritance from visionaries like Teddy Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot,” Grother said.
Public lands are key for hunting and fishing, as most permitted activity is done on these lands. The San Juans are the headwaters of main streams and rivers and provide clean water for both humans and fish alike.
There are still several provisions in the Senate budget bill that would impact the environment, including cutting tax credits for solar and wind projects and adding a new tax on clean energy projects.
The Trump administration also recently announced a decision to open 59 million acres of Forest Service land to development, by revoking the “roadless rule” and opening forests to timber harvesting and other resource development. Rescinding the rule would also remove protections along nearly 94,000 river miles, according to data from Conservation Science Partners.
“Forests serve as carbon sinks, helping to offset some of the impacts of climate change. They provide critical ecosystem services and are economic drivers for recreational and industrial benefits alike. The roadless rule protects these forests for a reason, including some of our oldest forests,” Boyd said.
Colorado would be exempt from the roadless reversal because of a different agreement negotiated with the Forest Service. But many other states are not in the same position.
“This decision isn't one about ecosystem management or fire safety. It is another attempt by the Trump administration to hastily sell off public lands under the guise of forest management and economic development,” Boyd said. “Wildfires are four times more likely to start in areas that have roads, so it doesn't improve fire safety as the administration claims.”
The Senate passed their bill with a 51-50 vote on July 1, with Republicans Susan Collins, Thom Tillis and Rand Paul joining Democrats to vote against it. Vice president J.D. Vance broke the tie.
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