Budget Bill: Oppose & Vote NO to Provision to Sell Off Public Lands

Today I’m writing to urge you to OPPOSE the provision contained in the Budget Bill that would sell or transfer to private ownership up to 3 million acres of public land. The Forest Service manages 193 million acres, which would mean a minimum of 970,000 to 1.45 million acres would be sold off if the bill passes, but could go higher. The intent is no doubt to sell it off to private developers. These public lands belong to all Americans and provide invaluable recreational opportunities, habitat for wildlife, and natural resources that should be preserved for future generations. Selling off these lands for short-term gain would be a grave mistake. Independent analyses have shown that very little of this public land is actually suitable for housing development due to factors like wildfire risk, remoteness from population centers, and other challenges like building real infrastructure there, and of course, the most important: Species habitats. Transferring public lands is unlikely to meaningfully address the housing crisis and would primarily benefit private interests at the expense of the American people, an only lead to forestry, mining, and other environmental degradation that we cannot afford given the climate crisis, and worsening pollution of our air and water resources. Furthermore, public land sales face strong bipartisan opposition, especially in the West where these lands are concentrated. Proposals like this disregard the will of the people and undermine responsible stewardship of our shared natural heritage. I urge you to reject provisions in the budget bill that would enable the sale of millions of acres of cherished public lands. These lands are a priceless resource that must be protected, not liquidated for private gain. Please uphold your duty to be wise stewards of the public trust, and get these provisions removed from the budget bill H.R. 1. No to the selloff of our public lands. Thank you.