Utah Public Lands Alliance speaks out about public land sale provision, seeks to offer ‘balanced look’

ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — The Utah Public Lands Alliance (UPLA) has spoken out about the Energy and Resources section of the “big beautiful” budget bill that was released by Sen. Mike Lee, which would require the sale of at least 2 million acres of public land over the next five years.

It would make over 258 acres of BLM and USFS land across the West available for sale and 18.7 acres of land in Utah eligible. The sales of these lands will go to funding the federal government and to fill the need for housing.

President of the Utah Public Lands Alliance Loren Campbell spoke to ABC4.com about the section that would mandate the sale of public lands.

Campbell said that they’re hopeful that this bill will protect off-highway vehicle access, but he’s not sure if they’ll get all the changes they’d like in the bill.

“There’s many enhancements we’d like to be more specific, and we are making recommendations in writing to Senator Lee’s office on some specific recommendations that we would like to see added. I have knowledge that probably most of those are not allowed,” he said in an interview with ABC4.com.

Campbell expanded on his thoughts in a written statement, which can be read in its entirety on the Utah Public Lands Alliance website. He called it “a balanced look” at the bill.

In the written statement, he highlighted that there has been a lot of misinformation about the bill out there on social media.

“Some of you I’m sure just want a simple answer whether the amendment is good or bad, but the truth is it’s a very complicated issue,” he wrote.

Campbell stated that there is no government source that determines the total land managed for the 11 states that will be eligible for sale, so it is difficult to determine the extent of land available to be sold. He also pointed out that Federally Protected Land is excluded in the bill, but that does not include Special Recreation Management Areas (SRMAs). He said that UPLA will suggest that SRMAs be added to the exclusion list.

He pointed out that federal agencies control almost 64% of total land in Utah, and in some rural counties like Garfield, Daggett, and Wayne Counties, they are close to 90% federal lands.

“This bill will only result in a relatively small transfer of land, but it may potentially assist these communities with housing needs and infrastructure and resulting increased tax revenue,” he said.

Land will have to be reviewed under National Environmental Policy Act requirements in both the identification and nomination of lands to be sold, he said, which will include opportunity for public review and comments.

He concluded that he believes the amendment provides safeguards for off-highway vehicle recreation and should not have serious impacts on recreation, but he added, “That is just my opinion, and it will largely depend on our efforts to stay on top of NEPA actions as lands are nominated.”

He also stated that UPLA will not be taking a position on whether the bill is good or bad. They will only make recommendations to make it better.

Other groups such as the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) have condemned the bill. SUWA called it a way to “pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy” and accused Sen. Lee of hostility and “never ending attacks on public lands.”

Some other groups that opposed the bill include the Mule Deer Foundation, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife.