Iconic Wyoming landscapes like Green River, New Fork and Fremont lakes could be developed for housing under the evolving GOP federal budget reconciliation bill, a map showing the federal lands that could be sold reveals.
The Wilderness Society mapped potential sale property based on language being hammered out by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. The panel revised the “mandatory disposal” measure Saturday, but has not itself mapped the estimated 258 million acres in 11 Western states that could be nominated for sale.
The Wilderness Society map, however, shows that in addition to the Pinedale-area lakes, many other National Forest and Bureau of Land Management properties could be nominated for sale and development. Some 15 million acres in Wyoming could be nominated for sale, according to calculations made by The Wilderness Society.
All told, an estimated 2-3 million acres across the West would be sold after nomination and secretarial approval, the National Wildlife Federation calculated.
The bill would “drive a dagger into the heart of our Wyoming way of life,” Casper resident Neil Short wrote to friends and colleagues, urging them to ask Wyoming’s senators to oppose the bill. “We hunt, fish, ride horseback, ride ATVs, mountain bike, hike, camp, run, climb, ski, snowmobile, roam and exercise our Second Amendment rights on these beautiful, sacred landscapes,” he wrote.
Click to see the Wilderness Society’s full interactive map.
The map of eligible land includes almost the entire Wyoming Range, the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, swaths of National Forest land surrounding Jackson Hole, Forest Service land on the west side of the Tetons and tracts bordering Star Valley.
West of Laramie, The Wilderness Society mapped large portions of the Medicine Bow National Forest, including Sheep Mountain and parts of Lookout Mountain, as available for sale. Land West of Cody also could be nominated, as well as Forest Service property on both sides of the Bighorn Mountains.
Scattered BLM lands around the state also qualify for sale, according to The Wilderness Society map.
Grazing permits in flux
The budget measure proposed by Utah’s U.S. Sen. Mike Lee requires the sales as part of the Republican plan to reduce the nation’s deficit. The Congressional Budget Office has warned that the bill would not do that; critics say it provides tax breaks for the wealthy and would use land sales to offset them.
The “mandatory disposal” provision would require the secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture departments — who oversee the Forest Service and BLM — to sell land owned by all Americans at fair market value. David Willms, associate vice president for the National Wildlife Federation, estimated the 2-3 million acres on the chopping block after studying the bill.
Interested parties could nominate a parcel for sale, and local governments, not including Native American tribes, would have a right to match the sale price. The land would be developed as housing and “affordability” would be among the criteria a secretary could consider in offering nominated parcels for sale, according to a draft of the measure obtained by WyoFile.
The Senate committee amended Lee’s “mandatory disposal” measure Saturday, adding federal grazing lands used by ranchers to the list of property subject to sale. Land used by ranchers under grazing permits had been exempted from nomination and sale before the revisions.
“Selling off 3 million acres of public lands without public input or consideration is bad for America and is bad for Wyoming’s way of life.”
Peter Linn
After news of those changes reached Western states, committee staffers in Washington, D.C., scrambled to protect ranchers, Jim Magagna, executive vice president of the Wyoming Stock Growers Association said Monday.
“I have been told they have drafted new language that totally protects any land with grazing rights from being sold,” Magagna said. “They assured me anything they go forward with will absolutely protect grazing permits.
“That satisfies our concerns,” pending a reading of the final language, he said.
Along with the deficit-reduction goal, Lee characterized the effort to sell land owned by all Americans as a way to boost affordable housing in the West. He’s been a critic of federal land ownership, supporting the Beehive state’s petition to the U.S. Supreme Court to wrest 18.5 million acres of BLM land from federal control.
There’s no language in the budget measure, however, that requires any development to be or stay affordable.
Any nomination for sale “shall include a description of [how the sale] would address local housing needs including housing supply and affordability,” according to the latest language in the measure.
Willms agreed that the Lee provision now opens the door to the development of resorts and exclusive housing.
The Lee provision also would circumvent federal environmental laws aimed at analyzing and documenting the effects of a sale and requiring notice and comment. The measure would fast-track sales, requiring the two agencies to begin accepting nominations within 30 days of the bill’s passage.
Montana out, Wyoming in
The Lee measure excludes Montana, a concession to U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke of Montana, who opposes any sales and will be a key vote in passing any bill in the House. The bill also excludes “federally protected lands” like national parks, wilderness areas, battlefields, wild and scenic rivers and other similar areas.
The bill would direct sale proceeds to the general treasury, a “huge shift” Willms said. Today, such funds must be used by the agencies themselves for things like landscape restoration.
Hunters and other outdoor recreationists see trouble in the bill.
Peter Linn, who operates Pendergraft Outfitters, urged Wyoming residents to speak out. “Contact Senators John Barrasso and Cynthia Lummis and tell them selling off 3 million acres of public lands without public input or consideration is bad for America and is bad for Wyoming’s way of life,” he wrote in a post for the coalition Keep It Public Wyoming.
Staffers for Barrasso and Lummis did not respond to WyoFile last week when asked about the senators’ views on Lee’s proposal. In a separate statement, Lummis did express support for Lee’s general approach to public land sales.
The Wyoming Outdoor Council posted a “red alert” saying “selling public lands to the highest bidder to fund tax cuts flies in the face of our Wyoming values.”
Casper resident Short told his friends “if our precious landscape is sold, multi-billionaires would own our sacred lands and we would be peasants, locked out forever.”
This article corrected the spelling of Pendergraft Outfitters — Ed.
Sale of the peoples land, is outrageous. The people have no say? Too much is taken out of the hands of the people.This is OUR country not to be left in the hands of the few.
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Folks if we are to get this stopped, we all have to email or call Senators Barrasso and Senator Lummis. Overwhelming their email and phone cues might break the stone wall. If they ignore that volume of protest, that will confirm that they don’t really represent Wyomingites. This is the issue that could get them removed.
This vote is coming up this next week. Please forward this information.
Barrasso (202) 224-6441 https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/contact/contact-form/
Lummis (202) 224-3424
https://www.lummis.senate.gov/contact/contact-form/
Not one acre! Wyoming does not have the funds to manage this land.
Magagna believes the Trump administration? There record is to tell any constituent exactly what they want to hear. The foolish MAGA will follow Trump right over the cliff, while we all pay the price. The rich get richer and the rest of us 99% get screwed.
National Forests and the BLM maintain a list of lands “eligible” for disposal. I’m opposed to selling public lands, but if it’s going to happen the Agencies could provide a list using criteria that makes sense.
I told you so.
For over 12 years I have been traveling the state of Wyoming to urge the transfer to the state the lands unappropriated to us at statehood.
I, and a handful of others told anyone who would listen that our public, federal lands were the only collateral the feds had left when our economy no longer covered our debt.
Today, our federal debt is 120% of our GDP. And here we are – proposing the sale of the public lands to pay it down.
I told you so.
The very idea of selling PUBLIC lands is so repulsive and idiotic that I can hardly control my outrage! Sales as defined will ruin other uses of land and will only enrich the billionaires.
What we are seeing is a black swan. They generally don’t last very long. But as everyone is saying, we’ll have to do some work.
I’ve lived in Wyoming 62 years & love that my children & grandchildren have had the opportunity to enjoy the open spaces & to enjoy our beautiful state, so please don’t take that away! Why sell our land to people that won’t really care for it ,they just want something that nobody has. We are a special state that needs to stay that way, don’t let others push us out to copy everyone else. We need to stay the way we are special! Where will all the animals go that live out there, just keep taking their space also. Please really think about this, it’s not a good idea!
To the deep state conspiracy folks. Find the deep state yet? Maybe we are seeing what the real deep state does. Maybe it starts selling off your public property !
I cannot believe that our “representatives” in Washington are such sycophants. They will do anything to toady to this weird agenda, without regard to the desires or concerns of their constituents. We are a state of sportsmen and sportswomen; we rely on the tourist industry for much of our income. They will sell our birthright and iconic lands to folks from California and Texas. They are so busy worrying about being good little soldiers that they will sell our state. Shame on them. How can anyone in this state vote for such people? I will not.
In 2009, Senator Barrasso sponsored and won approval for the Wyoming Range Legacy Act which protected the range – and wildlife – from oil and gas development. It is baffling that he now supports a sale of the Wyoming Range to the highest bidder under the guise of affordable housing. While passage of the act in 2009 secured the legacy of Craig Thomas, the bill’s original sponsor until his death, Senator Barrasso appears ready now to destroy not only that legacy but his as well.
Looks like Wyomingites are experiencing some voter remorse……Sorry but it’s abit too late to change the outcome that you all voted for. You helped cause all this, good luck dealing with it.
Senator Barrasso theoretically outranks Rep. Zinke, but he has become another DC denizen who will give away our public land heritage for his 1,000,000th picture with Trump. Values don’t always fold to be put into a wallet. Disposing of public lands would be a huge mistake. Tax the billionaires!
Our electeds are a couple of lackey’s towing the party line and only concerned with the wishes of their major doners. Sending them comments is useless, only if people are willing to show up in Cheyenne and protest will they get the message. I’ll chain myself to the cattle guard at New Fork lake before I see any of that land sold off.
BTW- Why aren’t there any social media buttons on WyoFile stories to share articles?
This is nor only a land grab but water also
Thanks MAGA! I am buying me some prime real estate and a big ‘ol fence. Stay out peasants!
It amazes me when the Wyoming patriots are really shocked when the Trump administration keeps doing exactly what they said they would do. All of these moves including the divestiture of public land was part of the Project 25 agenda. Yes Trump and others lied and you sucked it right up. We can only hope that our Constitution lasts long enough to be able to bring our country back by getting rid of these folks.
In her response letter to my phone call urging her to reject Lee’s budget proposal, Lummis said Wyoming would be better at managing public lands. She’s for all public lands to return to the state so they can be sold off. Barrasso, Lummis, and Hagemann are so out of touch with what Wyomingites have treasured for generations.
This is a revenue issue and it seems we the people are being given a deaf ear! The elitists will be the only beneficiaries of this blatant attempt to turn Wyoming into one big game reserve/park with room for only the most wealthy and if you’re lucky enough to get a job shoveling shit you can live and work here! As a 4th generation native of Wyoming this land sales initiative is sickening and very detrimental to our way of life in this State!
Our reps are not wizards but syphocants to Trump and his minions. VOTE them out!!!! What traitors to Wyoming!!!
I certainly hope that everyone of you commenters are also sending comments to our elected officials (even though they likely won’t care). Maybe if enough of us send comments they will actually pay attention to their constituency! Crying on the interweb does nothing!
This is one of the worst ideas any Senator has ever had. And that’s saying a lot! Public lands are one of the main reasons most of us live in Wyoming. With hunting and fishing access to private lands becoming increasingly difficult, public lands are more important now than ever.
Further, who doesn’t think that whatever funds are raised through the sale of public lands would be spent by congress in short order, yet the lands would be gone forever. I fully expect Lummis and Barrasso to oppose this, as should any senator not named Mike Lee.
I’ve gotten letters from both of them in response to my calls. They are both on board with the sale. Please everyone should be calling, writing, and signing onto any mass response like RMEF or Trout Unlimited letters
It is an absolute fact that it will be Californians, Texans, New Yorkers, and wealthy foreigners who will get those lands. Locals will see “No Trespassing” signs showing up in their favorite hunting and camping areas, as well as road closures, and huge increases in traffic. American heritage lands sold by treasonous politicians.
I have no words!!!! This is bad for people on so many levels!!!!
Five reasons selling public lands is a dumb idea.
1. Wyoming will lose federal revenue. Wyoming receives MILLIONS of dollars through the Secure Rural Schools Funding or SRSF (fs.usda.gov/payment) and Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) programs (pilt.doi.gov/counties). These programs PAY counties based on the acreage of public lands within their borders. If public lands become private lands, these funds decrease.
2. Wyoming will lose state revenue. If public lands become private lands, new owners will apply for an agricultural tax rate, the lowest rate with the least return to the state. Even SRSF and PILT funds give a better return to Wyoming taxpayers.
3. Wyoming will pay higher costs for fire suppression. Face it – western lands are fire prone. According to the National Interagency Fire Center, annual fire suppression costs over the past 5 years average just under three BILLION dollars. (https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/statistics/suppression-costs). Stopping fire from consuming resorts, restaurants and residences on public lands turned private will strain local firefighting resources, Sheriff departments and taxpayer budgets. With cuts to FEMA funds, don’t expect Wyoming communities to be reimbursed for our costs, but do expect your property taxes to increase. (https://www.urban.org/urban-wire/proposed-cuts-federal-disaster-assistance-will-hit-states-just-hurricane-season-ramps(
4. Degradation of wildlife habitat and migration. We’ve all seen it. Flatlanders purchase ranchettes, corral their acreage with non-wildlife friendly fencing and negatively impact migration corridors. Large scale stripping of vegetation for building envelopes frees weed seeds and snowmelt transports fragile soils into neighboring water sources, degrading riparian and hyporheic zones.
5. It’s not just tangibles, such as loss of revenue and increase of higher costs for taxpayers, there’s the intangible as well. A loss of public lands reduces places to hike, fish, camp, hunt, bird watch, swim, boat and get away from it all. Wyoming residents and other westerners are stewards of our American birthright of public land. As captured on the Yellowstone Arch plaque with a phrase from the 1872 legislation, “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People,” our role is to protect these world renowned wild areas and preserve these for the next generations as past citizens did for us. Call Senators Barasso and Lummis and ask them to vote NO.
While it’s obvious that the D.C. 3 will sellout Wyoming in a heartbeat, we also some quite a few closer to home traitors that want to abolish public lands for their own gain. Senate Dist Tim French aka Madam Chairman and his NonFreedom Caucus “elites” would like to see our public land areas sold off. Is there some backroom deal to further enrichen the infamous don’t want no gub’mint in my/cash those USDA subsidy checks one? At the very recent state ag committee meeting held in Powell, Tim French along with his shill son in law Brian Peters screamed vigorously for landowners to be able to sell the G & F issued landowner tags. Reason being, landowners apparently can’t make it on their own even with hefty subsidy checks. In the real world a business needs to be self sufficient or bust but these crybabies are so used to sucking off the governments teat that they now want G & F to subsidize their whining. On the flip side, ask these ‘self made’ (said with tongue in cheek) types for permission to hunt their land off Heart Mountain. Nope. This real behind the scenes story is about the shadowy parasite select few wanting yet another subsidy by selling off public lands to their cronies for personal gain
they got free heart mountain land from the fed govt. (the dreaded fed govt) through the 1946 homestead act. daughter has been writing derogatory letters to the area papers bashing the county planning and zoning director (the dreaded county govt). they’ve worn a trail to the bank cashing big usda Ag subsidy checks (the dreaded fed govt),a brother approached the park county commissioners (the dreaded local govt) requesting that the taxpayers build him a $900,000 grain bin. Oh the dreaded govt! 🙂 all of this is easily verified
I had previously written to each of Wyoming’s Congressional representatives questioning this. I have one question for our representatives: why is Montana exempted but not Wyoming?? How does this benefit the typical resident of Wyoming?? Rep Hageman had provided a response that was critical of BLM’s and USFS’s management of public lands. So the answer is to sell them to the highest bidder? How does this benefit the average/typical resident of Wyoming???
Because Daines and Zinke are Montanans (neither was born there like I was, but they somehow get to represent the state-go figure-) and they dont want Montanans beyond angry at them when the next election cycle comes around. Simple as that. That why Montanas public lands are -so far- exempt…
Montana was spared to keep 2 republican Senators from fighting the bill.
Meanwhile Barrasso and Lummis were essentially paid off with gas, oil coal deals to keep them online.
Mike Lee deserves the scorn of the nation for introducing this.
Zinke was born in Bozeman, BTW.
OMG — this is so sad. You think corner crossings is a problem to get to public land, we are in for a rude awakening. This land will be sold to rich developers and GONE FOREVER with no access. These developed communities will not want hikers, bikers, campers, hunters tramping around in their PRIVATE communities and they will restrict those activities. The question of who benefits from selling YOUR public land tells it all, it’s your public elected officials that benefit financially.
This affects all Wyomingites regardless of political affiliation. This travesty goes well beyond betrayal by Barrasso, Lummis and Hageman. They are trump sycophants and if we don’t band together, we will lose our public lands. Please! Stop voting for any old “R” behind-their-name political hack who comes along!
We have got to stop being typical low-information voters and really pay attention! If not, there will be more of this. I hope we can stop it.
What a travesty. This should infuriate every Wyoming citizen and indeed, every American. Zinke’s opposition was enough to carve Montana out of the bill. Where are Barrasso, Lummis and Hageman? All too obviously in the pockets of the extremely wealthy.
For information on our PUBLIC land watch:
The History and Future of America’s Public Land with Walt Dabney.
On YouTube
Thank you Gordon for this recommended youtube video lecture. He explains the history of how our Western public lands came to be, and argues against the demand of the State of Utah, at the time of this filming, to have the Federal Government turn over public lands to State control. This is what our elected officials have been demanding here in Wyoming, till just now, when they have switched their demand to just selling OUR LANDS outright to the highest bidder. This is an excellent presentation, well worth the time to watch it.
All three of Wyoming’s elected federal officials support this measure. All three need to be replaced with people who will actually listen, respect, and vote for the values that most of us who live in Wyoming realize are what make Wyoming so special.
Montana was exempted because their delegation fought back hard against the sale of Montana public lands. Has the Wyoming delegation pushed back to preserve USFS and BLM land in Wyoming? Of course not. Barrasso, Lummis and Hageman are not our advocates. If asked to choose between Donald Trump and their constituents, Trump will always win. It’s a disaster for the people of Wyoming.
You can expect the Wyoming folks to just keep voting a straight R. We are the most MAGA state in the US and they do not care if the land is sold to Trumps friends.
The sales will probably start with those pesky checkerboard parcels that grant access to the nobleman’s land.
Well here we are. The goofballs that we put in office are trying their hardest to Steal OUR land. Here in Wyoming, we have two women and one doctor that lies, obfuscates and deflects about their intentions to steal THE PUBLIC’S land. They can call it federal land if they want to, but it is PUBLIC LAND. They cannot be trusted with our children’s inheritance.
Think of the fact that our “reps” support a man that provided hush money to a porn star, is on tape saying that you can grab a woman by the genitals if you’re rich, and was found liable for sexual abuse of a woman. That should be a big warning of the low quality of our ‘reps’. We must vote the out of office, and protect our children’s inheritance.
Too bad the alternative offered in 2024 was even worse in the eyes of the America voters.
And yet no matter what your political persuasion is, this is A VERY BAD -actually even evil- IDEA. Kamala would have NEVER -and I mean EVER-come up with something so draconian, clearly oligarchic friendly (and no-one else) and therefore wholly anti-American. It is literally our open spaces in this country that define us over nearly every other country on earth- and how we have come to protect them. Not perfectly of course, but in a way that all other countries, if they even have the luxury of a democracy and a public that wants this: they all look at whaat the US has done, starting with the worlds first national Park, Yellowstone. We lead the world when it comes to how we view, respect, and hopefully protect and enhance our public lands and the critters on it. I have seen you on here a fair number of WyoFile posts over the years, and while I have almost never agreed with you about your various stances on wolves, etc, I think we are both avid outdoorsmen who actually do care about and respect our public lands (even if we disagree on key components of how they are managed) – and this is beyond reprehensible. Once it is gone, it NEVER comes back to us. Period.
America is Bankrupt, Trump was put in power for the fire sale. Essentially our public lands are collateral against the debt we have allowed “our representatives”🤣🤣 to rack up.
Kamala wasn’t even an option, it is why the Democrat campaign was handled the way it was.
Democrats got to oversee the Covid fascism, now it Republicans turn. Trump will put the Palantir surveillance system in place, Democrats will use it down the road.
See how the RvsD charade works?
This is a great way to speak with one voice
Allowing the sale of public lands is an unbelievably bad idea and must be resisted. If the need to raise revenue to offset the federal deficit is so critical, do not make permanent the tax breaks for the wealthy.
Our representatives won’t listen I have tried, the only way to stop this madness is for everybody to pay taxes including Trump and his cronies we are being turned into peasants . I’m sick of Harriet saying this is what the people voted for.
Solid article- thanks man
PUBLIC input should be mandatory when it comes to decisions about PUBLIC lands. Here’s my input: Selling off OUR public lands will destroy the state of Wyoming. Period. Full stop. The areas highlighted on the detailed map, when sold and developed, will disrupt and obliterate wildlife, pristine landscapes, outdoor recreation, and, essentially, all that makes Wyoming the unique, wild, and great state it is. The ripple out effect will negatively impact small businesses who rely on tourism in its many forms which provides a year-round source of revenue for individuals and families. With development comes increase costs to the state/counties in the form of the expanding infrastructure needed to accommodate more vehicle traffic, public water access, sewer access, police, etc, etc, etc. Who is going to pay for all the financial demands? We, the tax payers. It’s SO much more than money, though, for me, personally. Losing access to places I consider almost sacred because of their importance to my quality of life as a Wyomingite, is unthinkable. How about we not extend the tax cuts for the wealthy? Do they really need that extra $50,000 or $100,000 or more when they already have millions and billions? They won’t even notice if those tax cuts are greatly reduced or eliminated. While myself and my fellow Wyomingites WILL SURELY NOTICE when our treasured public lands are no longer accessible; can no longer be visited or enjoyed. The devastation and loss is, honestly, unimaginable.
greedy magagna only cares about his handout in regards to grazing rights. he doesn’t care if the rest is sold off.
this is your GOP you wyoming “patriots”. when will you folks realize that your political party has no interest in you?
the grazing rate per cow and a calf is a measly 4.5 cents per day – $1.35 per month. For the $1.35 per month payment, the BLM and USFS spend $8.00 per month to administer the grazing lease. That’s a negative $6.65 loss to the US taxpayer. It’s no wonder chief welfare Wyoming stockgrower Mr. Magagna fights so hard for freebies and meanwhile the public lands get overgrazed and stomped down to dirt
The latest version of Lee’s bill eliminates grazing preferences, allowing them to be sold as well. I wonder what his tune will be now
Leave our Public Land alone! No public land should be for sale!!