Call to Action: Stop the Sale of Public Lands
As part of the 2025 budget reconciliation package, the Senate is proposing a mandatory sell-off of millions of acres of public lands. The legislation, led by Utah Senator and Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources (SENR) Committee Mike Lee, would require between 2.2 and 3.3 million acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service land across 11 western states, including Idaho, to be sold off over the next five years. You can read the full bill text here.
This new legislation would potentially make over 250 million of acres public land across the west eligible for sale via nomination by any interested party. This is alarming as public lands are critical to Idaho’s long-term economic health and stability, and a sell-off of this scale would undoubtedly impact industries and communities throughout the state.
Below is a map of the estimated 258 million acres of public lands eligible for sale in 11 western states, 21.7 million of which fall within Idaho’s borders:
What is Being Proposed
Mandates sale of 0.50%–0.75% of BLM land and National Forest System land in 11 western states, including Idaho.
Administratively designated areas – such as Wilderness Study Areas, Roadless Areas, or critical habitat – are not excluded.
Allows any interested party to nominate eligible lands for sale, with priority to states/local governments.
Imposes a 5-year deadline to complete all mandated land sales.
Critical Concerns:
Overriding Established Law and Policy
This reconciliation package would change long-standing federal policy regarding the retention and management of federal public lands. The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) was passed in 1976 through a thoughtful and deliberate bipartisan legislative process and provides a clear set of rules for how federal lands may be sold, provided such sales do not harm the public and are for the public benefit. Legislative shortcuts like this budget reconciliation bypass public input, long-term assessment of outcomes, and accountability. This bill represents the most drastic change to public land management in decades. It is an unnecessary and rushed addition to the reconciliation bill which betrays long-standing cooperative land-management practices.
Rushed Timeline for Minimal Public Benefit
The Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior will have 30 days to solicit nominations for lands to be sold and must publish a list every 60 days of lands eligible for sale until they’ve sold a minimum of .5 percent but up to .75 percent of BLM and National Forest lands – or between 2.02 and 3.04 million acres. The entire sell-off must be completed within 5 years. This rushed timeline risks land being undervalued or improperly sold, trading the irreversible loss of these lands for short-term, minimal financial gain. Furthermore, research suggests that only a small percentage of land managed by the BLM and USFS is suitable for housing, and 58% of the land near communities with housing needs face high wildfire risk.
Vague Definitions and Inadequate Accountability
While this bill's purported aim is to create opportunities for more affordable housing, its execution falls well short of the intended target. We recognize the need to address Idaho's housing shortage, however, this bill lacks stipulations that housing built under this bill meet existing affordable housing requirements. There is no provision to prevent lands sold under Lee’s bill from being developed for niche developments, being under-utilized for special interests, or restricted for private use, none of which will meaningfully impact our housing shortage. In addition, while sold lands must be used for housing or undefined “community needs,” those restrictions only last for ten years, meaning any restrictions would expire ten years after the initial sale and the land can be sold again, privatized, or developed for other purposes
No Public Transparency or Input
The bill requires some consultation with local government, governors, and Tribes, but no opportunity for public input. The current process for identifying public lands for potential disposal is transparent and public, but those requirements would be erased by the proposed bill as private agencies are not required to publicize when public land is identified for sale. The bill does not even require agencies to disclose when public lands have been sold or to whom, eliminating any opportunity for input from the public until it’s too late.
Long-term Impacts to Key Industries and Local Communities
Although some categories of land are exempt from sale, such as national parks, popular recreation spots, local areas for hunting and fishing, prime wildlife habitat, roadless areas, and even historic sites could be privatized if this bill becomes law. This would significantly impact Idaho’s $7.8 billion outdoor recreation industry and $20 billion agriculture industry, both of which help sustain local economies. Contrary to existing withdrawl provisions, this bill would also eliminate the requirement that the government weigh the potential benefits of a land sale against lost recreation, clean water, wildlife, cultural resources, and other values. Communities in Idaho would lose not just access to outdoor spaces and recreation areas but also the inherent wellness benefits and cultural heritage these lands provide.
Our Position
Idaho Business for the Outdoors strongly opposes the mandatory sell-off of vast swaths of public land as proposed in this bill. As a nonpartisan coalition of Idaho businesses, we are the voice of the Idaho business community and advocate for the valuable role our outdoors and public lands play in sustaining Idaho’s state economy, our public health, and a strong business community. While the sale or transfer of public lands is not new, the proposed mandatory sale of millions of acres of public land would threaten public access, impact vital Idaho industries, and undermine responsible land management. Selling off public lands is short-sighted and irreversible. Once public lands are sold, they’re gone for good.
Public lands belong to all Americans, and Idaho Business for the Outdoors supports continued public ownership of public lands. Too many stakeholders, businesses, and communities' livelihoods and health depend on the preservation of our public lands for us to allow for the rushed and reckless disposal of millions of acres of public land, the loss of which could impact Idaho’s businesses and communities for decades. The public has a right to participate in how public lands are retained or disposed, and this proposal does not honor that right. We oppose this proposal and instead advocate for cooperative, long-term, multi-use public land management policies that offer the greatest benefit to Idaho and its residents.
We appreciate that Senator Jim Risch and Senator Mike Crapo have already spoken out against the sale of public lands. We urge the Senators to demand that public land sales be removed from budget reconciliation legislation. Below are links to contact your Senators and urge them to demand the mandatory sale of public lands be removed from the bill.
Senator Mike Crapo: https://www.crapo.senate.gov/contact
Senator Jim Risch: https://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact