Public Land Sell Offs Are Back as House Rules Package Contains Giveaway Provision
Sawtooth National Forest. Credit: Alex Moliski
The House Rules package, passed in early January, included a provision to make it easier to transfer or sell off public lands. This provision, a replica of a land transfer provision included in 2017 and again in 2023, is a statement that the House is open to seeing public lands sold off during this Congress.
The rules package governs how the House will operate over the next two years, and this provision (Section 3c) enables public land transfers to be treated as “budget neutral”—so that public lands can be more easily transferred, sold off, donated, or exchanged.
This budgetary maneuver is designed to make it look like giving away or selling public land would cost nothing. In fact, public lands provide valuable ecosystem services like clean air and water, are a large source of government revenue, form the foundation of the $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation economy, and are instrumental to the well-being of local communities across the country. National Parks, National Forests, BLM lands, and Wildlife Refuges are invaluable for the climbing, hiking, camping, paddling, mountain biking, and skiing opportunities they provide. This amendment essentially allows Congress to give away or sell public lands without considering their value, or the costs of giving them up, to the American people.
Misguided ideas about selling off or giving away public lands rear their heads every few years, and Outdoor Alliance and our partners have successfully defended public lands from sell off and takeover attempts before. In 2017 and again in 2023, the outdoor community rallied swiftly to respond to this same House provision, and many other bad ideas to come, eventually quashing many of the worst ideas.
As evinced by the recent bipartisan passage of the EXPLORE Act, public lands are enormously popular among Americans of all political identities and can be for their elected officials when they hear from their constituents. The efforts to sell off public lands are enormously unpopular with Americans, and yet they continue to come up every few years. Each time, Outdoor Alliance has been instrumental in fighting ill-conceived land transfer proposals.
The passage of these provisions is a harbinger of bad ideas to come and a clear sign that lawmakers are looking for license to sell off public lands.
It’s incredibly important—and highly effective—for constituents to respond to these rules. We’ve made it simple to write a message to your House members telling them you are concerned about this provision and what is means for legislation to come.