House Republicans push to sell hundreds of thousands of acres of public
lands in the West
[May 08, 2025]
By MATTHEW DALY and MATTHEW BROWN
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans added a provision to their sweeping
tax cut package authorizing sales of hundreds of thousands of acres of
public lands in Nevada and Utah, prompting outrage from Democrats and
environmentalists who called it a betrayal that could lead to drilling,
mining and logging in sensitive areas.
Republicans on the House Natural Resources Committee adopted the land
sales proposal early Wednesday morning. The initial draft had not
included it amid bipartisan opposition.
The land sale provision was put forward by Republican Reps. Mark Amodei
of Nevada and Celeste Maloy of Utah.
The parcels could be used for economic development, mining and
infrastructure projects such as the expansion of an airport and a
reservoir in Utah, according to local officials and plans for the areas.
Some sites would be considered for affordable housing, which is much
needed in fast-growing parts of Nevada.
The sites include up to 200,000 acres (80,000 hectares) in Clark County
Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, according to Nevada Democratic Sen.
Catherine Cortez Masto. That’s less than 1% of more than 50 million
acres (20 million hectares) of federal land overall in the state.
Also included is land in Pershing County, Nevada, where Amodei has
advocated for selling or exchanging about 350,000 acres of public lands
and allowing sales to mining companies.
Cortez Masto in a statement called it "a land grab to fund Republicans’
billionaire giveaway tax bill.”
“In the dead of night, Representative Mark Amodei pushed House
Republicans to move forward with an insane plan that cuts funding from
water conservation and public schools across Nevada,” she said.
The parcels in Utah would be sold at fair market value to local
governments and make up only a third of 1% of public lands in the state,
according to Maloy’s office.
“The sales from these small parcels of land will generate significant
federal revenue, and have broad local support. It’s a tailored,
parochial budgetary measure,” said House Natural Resources Committee
spokesperson John Seibels.
Colorado Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd voted against the provision.
The Nevada parcels are also in Lyon and Washoe Counties. The Utah
parcels are in the western portion of the state, including around the
city of St. George and near Zion National Park.
Seibels said the land sales provision resulted from a “community-driven
effort” by the impacted counties.
The sales provision advanced as the Natural Resources committee voted
26-17 to allow increased leasing of public lands for natural resource
extraction, while clearing the path for more development by speeding up
government approvals.
Republicans said the overall bill would generate at least $18 billion in
new revenue and savings.
Royalty rates paid by companies to extract oil, gas and coal would be
cut, reversing former Democratic President Joe Biden’s attempts to curb
fossil fuels to help address climate change.
The measure is part of Trump’s big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and
beefed-up funding to halt migrants. House Speaker Mike Johnson has set a
goal of passing the package out of his chamber by Memorial Day. All
told, 11 different House committees are crafting portions of the bill.
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Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., chairman of the House Appropriations
Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, speaks at the Capitol in
Washington, Oct. 2, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican and former Interior secretary
in the first Trump administration, had said before the vote that he
was drawing a “red line” on federal land sales.
"It's a no now. It will be a no later. It will be a no forever,''
said Zinke, whose state includes large parcels of federally owned
lands. He is not on the Natural Resources Committee but his office
said he would oppose any legislation to sell lands that reaches the
House floor.
About 1 million square miles is under federal control. Most of that
land is in Alaska and Western states. That includes 63% in Utah and
80% in Nevada.
Zinke and Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M., are leading a new bipartisan
Public Lands Caucus intended to protect and expand access to
America’s public lands. The caucus launched with a Wednesday news
conference hours after the resources panel vote.
Asked about the land sale provisions, Zinke said he understood
frustrations over restrictions on logging and mineral extraction.
But he indicated federal lands should remain under government
management.
“I prefer the management scheme and I give as an example a hotel. If
you don't like the management of a hotel, don't sell the hotel;
change the management,” he said.
Oil and gas royalty rates would drop from 16.7% on public lands and
18.75% offshore to a uniform 12.5% under the committee-passed bill,
which still faces a vote in the full House and Senate once it is
incorporated into the final legislative package. Royalties for coal
would drop from 12.5% to 7%.
The measure calls for four oil and gas lease sales in the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge over the next decade. It also seeks to
boost the ailing coal industry with a mandate to make available for
leasing 6,250 square miles of public lands — an area greater in size
than Connecticut.
Republican supporters say the lost revenue would be offset by
increased development. It’s uncertain if companies would have an
appetite for leases given the industry’s precipitous decline in
recent years as utilities switched to cleaner burning fuels and
renewable energy.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and Housing and Urban Development
Secretary Scott Turner in March proposed using “underutilized”
federal land for affordable housing. Turner said some 7 million
homes are needed. Officials under Biden also sought to use public
lands for affordable housing, although on a smaller scale.
The agencies have not yet released more details of the plan.
___
Brown reported from Billings, Montana.
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