Amendment bypasses public input and conservation safeguards, triggering national call to action – public lands must NOT be part of the budget reconciliation process
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, North America’s leading public lands advocacy group, is sounding the alarm and mobilizing its nationwide grassroots network in response to a last-minute amendment to the House budget reconciliation bill that would authorize the sale of nearly 500,000 acres of public lands in Utah and Nevada.
Introduced without public input, conservation safeguards, or reinvestment in access or habitat, the amendment represents a sweeping assault on the future of America’s public lands – and BHA aims to ensure the voices of public land owners nationwide aren’t just heard but heeded.
“This isn’t about partisanship. This is about principle,” said Ryan “Cal” Callaghan, BHA’s North American Board Chair and Conservation Director at MeatEater. “Our public lands are not bargaining chips. They are not surplus. And they are not for sale.”
When the House Natural Resources Committee released its initial budget framework earlier this month, BHA issued a hopeful statement applauding the omission of any public land sales, viewing it as a sign that lawmakers were listening to public pressure and bipartisan support for keeping public lands in public hands.
That hope has since been replaced by deep concern and a growing grassroots backlash. Originally reported as impacting 11,000 acres, updated figures now confirm the amendment threatens nearly half a million acres – including critical wildlife habitat and access areas.
“There was some optimism that our elected officials understood the value of our public lands as an irreplaceable American ideal when language to fast-track selling resources owned by us all was excluded from the initial budget proposal,” said Patrick Berry, BHA President & CEO. “But what we’re seeing now is a full-scale breach of the public trust. This isn’t just a policy disagreement; it’s a deliberate move to hide from public accountability and scrutiny by ignoring the process that includes input from the public – who overwhelmingly opposes the sale of public land.”
The amendment bypasses the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA) – a bipartisan law BHA helped make permanent. FLTFA ensures that when public lands are sold, the proceeds are reinvested in access, habitat and high-priority conservation lands. The amendment ignores that framework entirely, treating public lands as a budget pay-for.
“We’ll work with anyone, anywhere, to find real solutions,” added Callaghan. “But if you’re looking to carve up America’s public lands behind closed doors, you won’t find compromise – you’ll find us.”
BHA is urging the public to take immediate action by contacting their Representatives and demanding that public land sales be removed from the budget reconciliation package. Interested parties can send a message directly to their Representative via BHA’s Action Center or they can speak to them directly by calling the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
“This is where BHA draws the line – and we’re asking every American who values public lands, waters and wildlife to stand with us,” added Berry. “Once our public land is sold, it’s gone forever, and every call and email matters.”
Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America’s outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. To learn more about issues important to BHA’s membership, visit https://www.backcountryhunters.org/our_issues.
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