OREGON, USA — A new provision to be considered as part of Senate Republicans' budget reconciliation bill could lead to the sale of around 3 million acres of federally managed public land across 11 states, including Oregon and Washington.
The legislation, introduced by Utah Republican Senator Mike Lee, targets land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service.
Conservationists warn it could drastically reshape protected areas like Mount Hood National Forest and Crater Lake.
The legislation said the reason for selling of the land is to make way for housing developments. While the bill said governors and applicable tribes would be consulted with, conservationists said it bypasses public comment and actual transparency.
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Colin Deverell, the associate director for the northwest region of the National Parks Conservation Association, said to imagine "a view from the rim of Crater Lake that isn’t expansive forest, but rather a patchwork of privately developed land that used to belong to the public."
“These lands would be put up to sale to the highest bidder with zero community input," he continued.
Tristan Henry, Oregon field representative for the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said the legislation could have devastating impacts.
"Once these public lands are sold, they’re gone forever, and that’s something that most Americans should care about,” Henry added.
Some like Rachel Martin, whose family bought a forest service cabin back in 2020 in the Mount Hood National Forest, said these lands are special, and she wants them to stay public. She said all the cabins in that area are recreational.
“I think that public lands are set aside to be our national treasures, and I don’t think that that should be in a budget bill," said Martin.
She also makes the point that the risk of wildfires in the area is a reality, and if there's residential housing, that could put people at risk.
Similarly, she said cutting down all the trees would disrupt nature.
"Over the last few years, we’ve been really concerned about fire danger, and I’m a big environmentalist and so to disrupt the habitat of so many living things is kind of atrocious,” Martin said.
She added that it's not an issue of party, but having public land: “This land is for everyone. It’s not a Republican or a Democrat thing; it is a national thing, and it’s an Oregonian thing."
Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley have both come out in opposition. Wyden criticized the proposal, saying it would create housing for billionaires — not nurses or firefighters.
Sen. Lee’s office has not yet responded to requests for comment.