SPOKANE, Wash. — National forest land in Washington and Idaho could be sold if the Senate passes the Big Beautiful Bill.
Nationwide, the government would be selling 2 to 3 million acres of land if the bill passes. The federal government could sell any land from the Colville and Coeur d’Alene National Forests.
Conservationists are worried about recreation areas, parks and access to local lakes and rivers. As the bill is currently written, public lands would be sold without an opportunity for public feedback.
“These are permanent changes that would permanently alter the entire nature of Idaho for the worse,” said John Robison, director of public lands for the Idaho Conservation District.
The bill would allow the federal government to sell half a percent to three quarters of a percent of publicly owned land. That could have a huge effect on local recreation areas.
“Public lands belong in public hands. This provision is being driven by Senator Lee from Utah. The land sales do not fit Idaho, they do not fit the west,” Robison said.
Local senators and representatives have come out against the provision, including Washington Representative Michael Baumgartner and Idaho Senators Mike Crapo and James Risch.
“After a careful and thorough review of the legislative text in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee reconciliation title, Senator Crapo does not support the proposed language to sell public lands,” Crapo said in a statement.
Washington Senator Maria Cantwell also released a statement opposing the measure:
“This Republican budget bill is all about taking from average Americans to give to the ultra-wealthy and now that includes allowing the highest bidder to buy millions of acres of public lands that belong to all of us. This alarming proposal would put No Trespassing signs at beloved trailheads and fishing spots across the West, threatening the $1.2 trillion outdoor recreation economy and the five million jobs that rely on protecting these irreplaceable public lands. We need voices from across the nation, and on both sides of the aisle, to stand up for keeping our natural heritage accessible to all Americans today and into the future.”
Local residents are concerned too.
“What’s on the docket for sale right now includes entire mountain ranges and river ecosystems and that affects me in all kinds of ways,” said Sean Rowen Garmire, owner of Rowen Forest.
Conservationists worry if this land is sold, there wouldn’t be any provisions that it would be used for public benefit. The Idaho Conservation District says this bill could set a dangerous precedent for future public land sales.
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