Congress Sneaks Public Land Sales Into 11th Hour Amendment
Hundreds of thousands of acres of federally managed lands in Utah and Nevada could soon be sold in a convoluted and fast-moving effort to balance the nation’s budget. The highly controversial public land sell-off plans were forced into a reconciliation package in the middle of the night on May 6 and then quickly passed by the Republican-dominated House Committee on Natural Resources. Hunting and fishing conservation groups—which have opposed the inclusion of public land sell-offs in the budget package from the start—are now ringing alarm bells as the House budget bill heads to the Senate.