February 9, 2006 (Washington, DC) - The President’s proposed FY07 budget flies in the face of widespread opposition in recent months to proposals to privatize some of this country’s most treasured public lands. The President, ignoring the recent defeat of similar proposals in Congress, is proposing to sell off nearly $1 billion worth of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands to raise money for the federal treasury.

All of the details of the President’s budget are not yet clear, but we do know the Administration has set its sights on selling between 170,000-200,000 acres of Forest Service land in 35 states and possibly as many as 500,000 acres of Bureau of Land Management lands in the West.

This latest move follows closely on the heels of another failed proposal to sell off our public lands. Just two months ago, because of widespread opposition within the West, Representatives Richard Pombo (R-CA), and Jim Gibbons (R-NV) were forced to drop a mining provision in budget reconciliation bill that would have led to the sale of millions of acres of public lands. Other recently floated ideas to sell off national parks and other public lands have met with similar widespread opposition.

A bipartisan group of Western governors, Members of Congress, sportsmen, conservationists and others have voiced their opposition loud and clear to each of these misguided attempts to sell public lands and strong opposition to the President’s most recent proposal is already gaining momentum.

More Information

• Factsheet on the land sell-off (PDF)
• A list, by state and region, of the amount of acreage being proposed for sell off by the U.S. Forest Service
• Facts about the BLM’s proposed land sale (PDF)
• Mining Provisions to Sell Off Public Lands Dropped by Congress 
• House Bill Would Sell Off Western Monument Land