Overview

• The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee included a provision in the reconciliation bill to dispose of 0.5 percent to 0.75 percent of Bureau of Land Management and National Forest System lands across 11 western states for housing development
• The proposal carves out 15 categories of protected areas—such as national parks, monuments and wilderness zones—but the Wilderness Society warns more than 250 million acres of unprotected federal land could still be vulnerable
• A fact sheet cited by Sen. Mike Lee’s committee points to a Congressional Budget Office estimate that the land sales would generate between $5 billion and $10 billion in federal revenue over the next decade
• Environmental groups, western lawmakers including Rep. Ryan Zinke and local leaders such as Teton County commissioners have criticized the plan for threatening wildlife corridors, outdoor recreation economies and genuine affordable housing efforts
• Sen. Lee defends the amendment as a necessary response to the housing shortage, pledges to tighten eligibility around population centers and expresses confidence it can survive budget reconciliation rules