Public land could go private in the Central Valley, foothills

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Part of the “Big Beautiful Bill” could eliminate thousands of acres of public land in the Central Valley and surrounding foothills.

Under the Senate Reconciliation Bill, .5 to .75% of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Forest Service lands across 11 Western states (including California) are mandated for sale over the next five years.

That’s a total of 258.7 million acres that could be up for grabs. California’s 16,682,607-acre share includes recreation sites like Mammoth Pools, most of Bass Lake, and the entirety of Chowchilla Mountain.

The Senate says the bill would advance housing, but opponents argue it would diminish a valuable public resource, and “Americans’ access to outdoor recreation,” all to prop up “commercial interests.”

While only about 2.2 to 3.3 million acres of land will actually be available to purchase, it will be sold without hearings, debate, or public input opportunities; instead, the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture will have the discretion to choose which places be sold and to solicit nominations from “any interested parties.”

The Wilderness Society claims this “sets up relatively under-resourced state and local governments to lose open bidding wars to well-heeled commercial interests.” Wildfire risk could also be a concern – without oversight by the BLM and NFS, patrols would not be conducted.

While pushback has been widespread, proponents argue the bill “would address local housing needs.” Some argue, however, that the majority of the land available for purchase is not suitable for housing due to terrain and wildfire risk.

“I don’t think it’s clear that we would even get substantial housing as a result of this,” Sen. Martin Heinrich, the ranking Democrat on the energy committee, said. “What I know would happen is people would lose access to places they know and care about and that drive our Western economies.”

The bill is currently under review by the Senate.