Earthjustice Action Statement on Removal of Public Lands Sales from Reconciliation Bill

WASHINGTON, DC—Last night, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) announced he had dropped his proposal to sell off more than a million acres of public lands from the Republican reconciliation bill. The bill still includes plans for fossil fuel leases and timber sales on millions of acres of public lands and waters—including in ecologically sensitive places like the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska’s Arctic, and old growth forests. After the announcement, Earthjustice Action Vice President of Policy and Legislation Raúl García issued the following statement: 

“While the massive public lands sell-offs are seemingly off the table, this bill still sells out our public lands and waters to the oil, gas, coal, and logging industries that are hellbent on pillaging our public resources for profit. We thank the diverse voices from across the political spectrum who sounded the alarm on this proposal and sent a clear message to Republicans that our public lands are not for sale.  

“The fight isn’t over. Iconic spaces like Alaska’s Arctic, the Gulf of Mexico, and our national forests from the Tongass in Alaska to the Nantahala in North Carolina, are still at risk. We can’t let up the pressure. Every Senator who cares about stewarding and passing along these cherished lands to future generations must oppose this bill. In future elections, voters will remember those who fought for our public lands and those who sold them out.”