Proposed ‘Fire Sale’ of Public Lands Runs Contrary to Public Opinion, Responsible Stewardship

DENVER (June 11, 2025) – The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s proposal for the mandatory sale of up to 2.5 million acres of National Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management public lands threatens wildlife, hunters, anglers, outdoor recreation, and rural communities across the West. It will result in selling lands to the highest bidder, without actually addressing the affordable housing crisis. 

“Mandating the fire sale of up to two-and-a-half million acres of public land violates more than a century of land stewardship, threatens wildlife and clean water, runs directly against widespread public opinion, and will not begin to solve either the budget crisis or the affordable housing crisis,” said David Willms, associate vice president for public lands at the National Wildlife Federation. “This proposal is orders of magnitude worse than what the House proposed last month and ignores the careful process that has been in place for nearly 50 years to dispose of public lands–when needed–after extensive consultation with local community leaders and public land users. The Senate should listen to the overwhelming majority of the public that opposes large scale land sales, follow the lead of the House, and remove this proposal from its reconciliation bill.”