More than 100 environmental and community groups are calling on Western governors to oppose a sweeping federal proposal that would allow millions of acres of public lands to be sold off.
The appeal comes as state leaders gather for the Western Governors’ Association’s annual meeting at Santa Fe’s Eldorado Hotel.
A letter sent yesterday urges the governors to reject a plan backed by Utah Senator Mike Lee.
The proposal is part of a Senate Republican budget bill and would allow 3 million acres of public lands to be immediately privatized, according to the letter.
Groups behind the letter warn the move could result in the largest public lands sell-off in U.S. history.
Language in the senate bill places more than 250 million acres of public land across 11 Western states at risk.
They say the legislation bypasses environmental review, Tribal consultation, and public input.
Under the current language, governors could nominate which lands they want to sell, with decisions finalized in as little as 30 days.
Public lands at risk include areas currently used for recreation, hunting, fishing, and wildlife habitat.
While the Western Governors and federal officials were discussing such federal policy in Santa Fe yesterday, a large group of protestors were making their feelings known out on the streets.
According to published reports and other estimates, there were somewhere around 2,000 people in the streets of Santa Fe yesterday to protest the federal proposal to sell off public land.
All indications were that the Santa Fe rally and march were peaceful.
Protestors carried signs reading “This land belongs to you and me” and chanted “not for sale.”
The Senate GOP bill would also give the Interior and Agriculture secretaries broad new powers to determine which lands could be transferred or sold — including areas within national monuments if protections are removed.
Supporters of the budget plan have framed it as a response to housing shortages, but, according to yesterday’s letter of opposition, there are no provisions requiring the land be used for affordable housing.
New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham also raised concerns about the budget proposal.
Speaking at the governors conference yesterday, she said the plan doesn’t fit New Mexico, where residents have a deep connection to the land.
She said public lands in New Mexico are shared resources and shouldn’t be sold to private buyers without a transparent process.
The land sales reportedly would not include national parks or wilderness areas but would affect 11 Western states, from Alaska to New Mexico.
Federal officials at the summit, including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, emphasized the potential economic benefits of using public land for recreation, energy production, and other purposes.
Wyoming Governor Mark Gordon expressed limited support for the idea, saying some communities surrounded by federal land could benefit from targeted development if states are allowed to shape local policies.
While the proposal promises to leave protected areas untouched, critics argue it opens the door to broader land transfers that could alter the future of public lands in the West.
Portions of this story were adapted from an Associated Press report.