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SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Sen. Mike Lee announced changes to his controversial proposal that could trigger the sale of millions of acres of public lands.
In a Monday night post on X, the Republican Senator revealed his plans to revise the proposal. They include taking the potential sale of all U.S. Forest Service land off the table and "significantly reducing" the Bureau of Land Management lands that could go up for sale.
Housing prices are crushing families and keeping young Americans from living where they grew up. We need to change that.
— Mike Lee (@SenMikeLee) June 24, 2025
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…
A previous draft of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee budget reconciliation bill ordered the sale of 3.3 million acres of public lands, including BLM and Forest Service lands. He defended the proposal as a means to create more affordable housing, despite criticism from those worried about the lack of clear requirements in the bill text.
Lee has faced heavy criticism from environmental and recreation groups alike, who said the proposal could negatively impact recreation access across the West. In Utah alone, several beloved backcountry skiing areas and hiking trails fell into areas believed to be included in the sale.
According to Lee's post, the updated draft of the bill will only include BLM land that is within five miles of cities.
In addition to promising a trimmed-down selection of public lands that could be put up for sale, Lee said an updated version will create "freedom zones."
Finally, Lee said farmers, ranchers and recreational users come first. He has continued to defend his proposal.
