Sen. Mike Lee revises proposed public lands sale following Senate strikedown

SALT LAKE CITY — A revised version of Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s proposed public lands sale became public on June 25, just one day after its predecessor was struck down by the Senate parliamentarian. 

The proposal was initially made to be part of a Republican bill known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” It received opposition from several recreation and environmental groups and people across the political spectrum. 

The new version fulfills claims Lee made in an X pose late Monday night. He said he would remove all Forest Service land from eligibility and reduce the amount of Bureau of Land Management land included. 

Housing prices are crushing families and keeping young Americans from living where they grew up. We need to change that.

Thanks to YOU—the AMERICAN PEOPLE—here’s what I plan to do:

1. REMOVE ALL Forest Service land. We are NOT selling off our forests.

2. SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE…

— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) June 24, 2025

 

The scaled-back version was shared with KSL by Defenders of Wildlife, a conservation group. It removes sale of all Forest Service lands and adds greater specificity to eligibility criteria of BLM lands. 

Now, only land within five miles of “population centers” is eligible. After being sold, it could only be used for housing, infrastructure, or development needs. 

The new version requires the BLM to sell between 0.25% and 0.5% of its land. Previously, that requirement sat between 0.5% and 0.75%. 

The new requirement could trigger the sale of as many as 1.2 million acres of BLM land in 11 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. 

Since his initial proposal, Lee has maintained that the point is to create more affordable housing. 

Lee’s public lands sale proposal already facing more debate

Although Lee’s revised proposal just became public, it is already facing criticism. 

“No matter how many times, or how many ways Senator Lee reintroduces this legislation, it will not change the fact that the American people are dead set against selling off our public lands,” said Vera Smith, director of national forests and public lands for Defenders of Wildlife. 

In contrast, the Utah GOP voiced support for Lee’s updated public lands sale proposal. A post on X quoted Chairman Robert Axson, who said Lee is “doing exactly what Utahns elected him to do.” 

“For generations, Utah and other Western states have faced serious challenges due to excessive federal control of public lands,” Axson said. 

Lee did not make an official announcement of the updated proposal. However, following the cancellation of his original plan, he posted on X that he would continue working “to ensure that any federal land sales serve American people.”