SALT LAKE CITY — An amendment to the U.S. Senate’s ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ proposed by Utah Sen. Mike Lee could put millions of acres of public lands across the American west up for sale.
The senator says it’s in keeping with President Trump’s agenda, adding it has the potential of “opening up energy and resource development, turning federal liabilities into taxpayer value, while making housing more affordable for hardworking American families.”
But local environmental groups are speaking out about its potential impacts.
From ski resorts to popular trails, see the public land Mike Lee proposes selling across the West:
Whether you’re laced up in hiking boots or locked into skis, Dani Poirier says you can always find something to do out in Utah’s wilderness.
“It is super unique here - we have world-class outdoor recreation, whether you’re backcountry skiing, resort skiing, camping, hiking,” said Poirier, who directs the Wasatch Backcountry Alliance.
It’s what attracts so many people here and what helped her gravitate towards the alliance 11 years ago.
“Which is a local non-profit that works to represent the voice of the backcountry community here in the central Wasatch,” Poirier said.
It’s these same communities which now worry if that backcountry will keep its remote feel.
“This really is one of the largest attempts to sell off public lands in modern history,” said Laura Peterson, a staff attorney with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
Senator Lee’s proposed amendment could make over 18 million acres of land eligible for sale in Utah alone, across lands managed by both the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
But the senator’s office says not a single acre is put up for sale by the bill itself. In a statement, a spokesperson says: “Instead, the bill creates a nomination process for certain federal lands — allowing communities to propose parcels for potential sale only if they meet strict criteria and meet consultation requirements.”
Senator Lee is the chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee in Washington. His staffers tell Fox 13 News that committee is finalizing updated language for the amendment that would provide exemptions for areas that have been granted special use permits - such as the popular ski resorts we have in the Cottonwood Canyons.
That committee is also looking to limit eligible U.S. Forest Service lands to those within 2 miles of a population center and BLM lands to within 5 miles of a population center.
“It might not be this remote, far away place - but that doesn’t mean it’s not highly valued,” said Poirier.
But Poirier points out it could still jeopardize many areas of the Wasatch their group frequents.
“Say for instance, there’s a popular peak that people like to backcountry ski,” Poirier said. “Maybe that peak will remain public, but the parcel you cross to get to that peak will become private.”
It’s why she and others are asking their senator to keep public lands public.
“I feel like it’s such a privilege, and it’s something I want everyone to be able to enjoy for years and years to come,” said Lauren Smith, who lives in Bountiful. “So I hope it doesn’t get sold off, I think that would be a shame.”
