U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, proposed new provisions to Congress’ budget that would result in the sale of between 2.2M and 3.3M acres of federal land over the next five years.
The proposed land is currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. The land is located throughout 11 Western states, including Nevada.
Sale proceeds would go to the Treasury Department, as opposed to local governments. Many Nevada leaders and environmental groups have concerns with the move.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., claims the provisions were written in secret. She had recently argued with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum surrounding public land sales.
She went on to say the provisions ignored input from stakeholders, bypassed affordable housing provisions and eliminated funding for school and water conservation projects. Typically, these projects are funded via the Southern Nevada Public Land Management Act, which would return revenue to the local economy.
Notably, Nevada has the highest percentage of federally owned land in the United States. (Source)
