June 24, 2025 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUWA Statement on the Senate’s Rejection of Senator Mike Lee’s Scheme to Force the Sale of Millions of Acres of Public Lands – 6.24.25
Lee’s latest proposal part of his longstanding efforts to radically reshape the fabric of the American West and move public lands into private hands
Contacts:
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org
Washington, DC – Overnight, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that Senator Mike Lee’s (R-UT) plan to sell off millions of acres of public lands cannot be included in the FY25 Budget Reconciliation Bill currently being considered by the Senate. His plan was part of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s bill text and would have required the Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service to offer up millions of acres of public land across 11 western states (AK, AZ, CA, CO, ID, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, and WY) for sale. A statement from SUWA Executive Director Scott Braden can be found below.
“The nationwide backlash sparked by Senator Mike Lee’s proposal to sell off millions of acres of public land shows just how universally unpopular his idea is,” said Scott Braden, SUWA Executive Director. “While we’re glad to see the sell-off plan removed from the Budget Bill, we know Lee’s underlying goal remains the same: to sell off America’s public lands using any excuse or legislative opportunity he can find. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, our members, and our partners will continue to work to defeat this and any future efforts to sell-off our shared public lands for private profit and exploitation.”
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The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.
