Overview

• The amended bill directs the Interior Department to dispose of 0.25 percent to 0.50 percent of Bureau of Land Management lands within five miles of population centers solely for housing development.
• Sen. Mike Lee’s revision excludes all U.S. Forest Service lands and limits sales to parcels nominated by state or local governments and adjacent to existing infrastructure.
• Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough must rule on whether the scaled-down provision meets Byrd Rule requirements after rejecting earlier, broader land-sale measures.
• Five House Republicans, including Reps. Ryan Zinke and David Valadao, have pledged to vote against the reconciliation package if the public lands sale language remains.
• The broader 940-page budget bill also introduces new fees for renewable energy projects and cuts royalty rates for oil, gas and coal on federal lands.