Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee has moved to shrink his proposed public land sell-off in the Republicans’ megabill as he races to save the provision from the parliamentarian’s knife.
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough this week said an earlier plan from the Utah Republicans could not pass by simple majority under budget reconciliation. Hunters and other conservation-minded conservatives also took to social media to protest the land sales.
New text making the rounds on Capitol Hill, obtained by POLITICO’s E&E News, would implement changes Lee touted on social media Monday evening.
Specifically, Lee’s new proposal would remove all Forest Service land from potential sale and would significantly shrink Bureau of Land Management land from up to 0.75 percent to 0.5 percent across 11 states. Any land sold under the plan would have to be within 5 miles of a population center to address housing concerns.
The National Wildlife Federation in a press release predicted the revised version would still open up more than a million acres for sale.
It’s unclear whether the new language has been submitted to the parliamentarian and whether it would pass muster. Lee’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
