Here's How We Get Rid of Mike Lee's Public Land Sales Bill
Flood the inboxes of these Republican Senators
This upcoming week, the U.S. Senate will vote on Senator Mike Lee’s (R-UT) public land sales bill, which would be included in the massive so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill.” Unless public outcry becomes so overwhelming the bill gets removed before voting takes place.
In this 69-page bill, Mike Lee, who chairs the Senate’s Energy & Natural Resources Committee, mandates the sale of between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres of public lands managed by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) across eleven western states, excluding Montana.
For the record, National Park Service sites are exempt from potentially being sold in this particular bill.
That said, the bill’s text does not specify exactly which tracts of Forest Service or BLM lands would be sold off. It simply outlines criteria by which certain public lands would be eligible for sale.
Using the bill’s own details, conservation organizations like The Wilderness Society and Western Watersheds Project have created maps that show precisely which lands could be nominated for sale.
According to their analysis, more than 250 million acres of Forest Service and BLM lands could be eligible for sale.
The 2.2 to 3.3 million acres of land mandated to be sold would come from somewhere within those 250 million acres shown on the map above.
This could include pristine wildlife habitat, popular hunting grounds, lakes, trailheads, Forest Service land adjacent to national parks, and so on. Much of this land is incredibly scenic, draws many thousands of recreationists every year, and supports endangered species.
Additionally, the bill also doesn’t specify who would be allowed to purchase those public lands, potentially making them available to states and local governments, but also to private investors, real estate developers, mining companies, billionaires, and even foreign entities.
So, how do we stop this atrocious bill from passing?
Here’s exactly how we do it.
Because this is done in the budget reconciliation process, which I won’t get into any deeper here, we need 51 Senators to oppose the bill.
Currently, the Senate’s 45 Democrats and 2 Independents (47 Senators in total) are certain to vote against it just on principle alone.
So, we’d need an additional 4 Republican Senators to oppose Mike Lee’s bill.
Of all twelve western states, there are five that have two Republican Senators—Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming. That’s where the votes we need could come from.
(Republican Senators from midwestern and southeastern states, where public land sales aren’t being proposed, are unlikely to get actively involved in this issue. This is a politically flammable situation and they definitely don’t want to burn their fingers—or be held responsible for stalling Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” which the President wants to have passed by July 4.)
Let’s take a look at who those western Republican Senators might be, state by state:
Alaska: Sen. Sullivan has previously said he thinks “it’s a great idea” to sell federal lands, while Sen. Murkowski has been skeptical but hasn’t outright opposed public land sales.
Idaho: Last Friday, Sens. Crapo and Risch both came out against public land sales, according to Idaho Statesman. So, those are potentially two of the four votes we need.
Montana: Although Montana is, curiously, exempt from public land sales under Mike Lee’s bill, both its Senators, Daines and Sheehy, have previously been on the record opposing the selling of federal lands. Last Saturday, the Bozeman Daily Chronicle reported that both of them have stated their opposition to the bill. These are potentially two more votes we need.
Utah: Considering that Sen. Mike Lee himself is from Utah, this is 100% not the state where we’ll find any support for public lands. Sen. Curtis also has an anti-public lands track record.
Wyoming: Sens. Barrasso and Lummis have struck a backroom deal with Mike Lee to allow for more drilling on Wyoming’s public lands and are extremely unlikely to oppose the bill.
What do we do with this?
First of all, call Montana’s Daines and Sheehy and Idaho’s Crapo and Risch.
As things stand, those are the four Senators that are most likely to oppose public land sales. The more we keep putting pressure on them, the more likely they are to follow through on their own statements.
Four Republican votes are what we need. These are the four Senators to focus on, first and foremost.
Sen. Daines (R-MT): 202-224-2651
Sen. Sheehy (R-MT): 202-224-2644
Sen. Crapo (R-ID): 202-224-6142
Sen. Risch (R-ID): 202-224-2752
Second, let’s definitely also not forget the Republican Senators who are in favor of public land sales. If anything, they’re the ones who deserve the biggest backlash and blowback, but only after contacting the four Senators above first. Priorities!
Although you may not be able to change their minds, you can absolutely still let them know how strongly you oppose their stance and what they’re trying to take away from you.
I’d also like to point out that you don’t need to live in any of these states to voice your support for public lands. Even if you live in, say, Tennessee, New York, California, Illinois, or Texas, these western public lands are still yours. They belong to you, too. If they’re sold, you won’t be able to visit them (again).
When calling or messaging them, however, it’s crucial to do so in a concise and polite way. Use clear and strong language, but definitely do not use insults, curse words, or threats. Let’s be the bigger people here.
Sen. Sullivan (R-AK): 202-224-6665
Sen. Murkowski (R-AK): 202-224-3004
Sen. Lee (R-UT): 202-224-5444
Sen. Curtis (R-UT): 202-224-5251
Sen. Barrasso (R-WY): 202-224-6441
Sen. Lummis (R-WY): 202-224-3424
Call Script
Here’s an example of what you might say:
“Hi, I’m calling to urge Senator [Last Name] to oppose any bill that would sell off our public lands.
These lands are a part of our national heritage—they’re where we hunt, fish, camp, and connect with our families and with nature. Selling them off would be a permanent loss, not just for us today but for future generations of Americans.
I hope the Senator will vote against any public land sales bill—and fight to keep our public lands in public hands. I am following this issue closely and will vote against any Senator who is in favor of selling public lands. Thank you.”
Remember, this is very urgent. The Senate will most likely vote on this on the next few days. If you’re going to call, call now.
If you’d rather send an email, you can find the contact information of all Senators here.
Alternatively, you can also easily send a message to your own Representative(s) and/or Senator(s) via this form provided by The Wilderness Society.
Let’s keep flooding their inboxes.