A controversial proposal to sell off large portions of America’s public lands has been defeated following widespread public outcry, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced Friday.
The public land sale provisions were included in the Republican-backed “Big, Beautiful Bill,” but were removed after thousands of Americans voiced strong opposition. Heinrich, the Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, credited the change to overwhelming grassroots pressure.
“Today is a major victory for our public lands,” Heinrich said in a statement. “Thank YOU for your incredible outpouring in defense of our American birthright. Because of you, the lands that we cherish will remain OURS.”
Heinrich has been a vocal defender of public lands, calling them essential to the nation’s heritage, outdoor economy and environmental health. The original provisions in the Republican proposal sparked backlash from conservationists, outdoor recreation groups, Indigenous communities and everyday Americans who feared losing access to lands that have long been publicly owned.
The senator also issued a warning to those who may try similar tactics in the future.
“To those already plotting to go after our public lands another way: Don’t. Unless you like losing,” Heinrich said.
The defeat of the public lands provision marks a key moment in the ongoing national debate over the future of federally owned lands, which make up nearly 640 million acres across the United States. Heinrich vowed to remain vigilant in protecting those lands for future generations.
Instead of selling the land, which the US Govt can’t actually own, how about ceding it to the states in which it’s situated. There wouldn’t be a need for a US Forest Service with it’s bloated union paychecks and golden parachute benefit packages…
I believe that states will only exacerbate the problems you mention. Best to let one organization manage the federal lands. Just fix the problems you are concerned with.
FS employees are overpaid? How much do most FS workers make? I question your assertions here, so please provide current information on specific salaries and retirement packages. Otherwise it seems a derogatory attack on the reputation of the agency that may or may not be accurate. But the smear will not go away. Thanks.
I also question the wisdom of handing over control of federal public lands to the states. I can see the attraction to some people, but it would just be at the whims of state elected officials that will find ways to personally profit from the sale of those public lands into private hands, corporations and billionaires less likely to be concerned with environmental quality and under less environmental quality control, which impacts us all.
Thank you Senator and all who voiced their concern for the protection of public lands for future generations. Greed is the new mantra of this administration but hopefully future ones will see the value in our natural beauty and wide open spaces. They are getting harder and harder to find.