American Public Lands Up For Grabs

As RWB’s U.S. supporters may have heard by now, the Senate Budget Reconciliation

bill currently under consideration back in Washington – Donald Trump’s so-called “Big

Beautiful Bill” – includes a provision calling for the sale of at least two million acres of

American public land, and more up for grabs (a proposal introduced by Utah Republican

Senator Mike Lee). Some 250 million acres – excluding protected lands like National

Parks or Wilderness – would be eligible for disposal to the highest bidder. The rationale

for this unprecedented sales proposal is supposedly about helping to meet current U.S.

housing needs, though the bill includes no definition of what housing is or what land

that’s sold in fact could or couldn’t be used for. And of course most of America’s public

land is, almost by definition, removed from community infrastructure and ill-suited for

housing.

In truth, this would be a gift to wealthy buyers to acquire choice land adjacent to

National Parks or along side favorite trout streams or in mountain foothills for their own

second (or third) home or backcountry getaway or for resorts and the like. And any

money back to federal coffers could help make up for tax breaks the rich would also be

seeing. Whether or not privatized land could also be logged or mined is unclear, but

there would be no public review of sales decisions, no chance to even ask. Just no

trespassing or keep out signs on what used to be our land, our heritage. As for lands

outside of Indian Reservations that might fall under treaty rights? They are open for

sale too, that complexity not a worry under this bill. Likewise National Monuments,

critical wildlife habitat and corridors, Wilderness Study Areas, headwaters, trail access

points, pristine viewsheds, etc.

In the transboundary region, the Tongass is wide open for sales which could impact the

Chilkat and lower portions of the Taku, Iskut-Stikine, and Unuk river systems.

Rivers Without Borders urges anyone interested in this proposed public lands sell off

provision of the reconciliation bill to contact Senators and Representatives with

questions or concerns. And please don’t put this off. The bill is moving fast, and its

public lands provision is just a small part of a massive, complex and controversial

legislative package that could easily slip by if folks don’t speak up now.