GOLDEN, CO (June 24, 2025) – In recent weeks, community members and elected officials from states along the Continental Divide have voiced their opposition to the sale of public lands as a turbulent federal budget reconciliation process has drawn national attention to the topic. 

On June 11, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources released its proposed budget reconciliation text. Section 031 of the bill would have required the US Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management to dispose of between 0.5% and 0.75% of land under their jurisdiction over the next ten years. Disposal could have taken place in eleven Western states, including New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Idaho, and totaled between two and three million acres of national public lands. Although the bill stated that the disposition of land aimed to address housing shortages, the amendment did not contain sufficient guidance to ensure that land sales led to the development of affordable, long-term, or community-driven housing solutions. 

On June 23, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that this amendment violated the Byrd Rule, which states that the federal budgeting process cannot be used to make policy changes that are not related to budgetary matters. The amendment has been removed from the budget reconciliation bill, but Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, vowed in a social media post to rewrite and reintroduce the amendment. 

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDT) is a Congressionally-designated National Scenic Trail that traverses mostly federal public lands across five states: Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. As the now-removed amendment was originally written, 

the actual tread of the CDT was not eligible for sale, but locations as close as 1,000 feet from the trail could have been sold and developed, fundamentally changing the pristine scenery of the trail and threatening important natural, cultural, and historic sites. Side and connecting trails to the CDT that are essential for community access, long-distance hiker resupply, maintenance, and emergency response could also have been sold.  

Elected officials from along the Continental Divide spoke out in opposition to the sale of public lands in response to the original budget amendment. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jim Risch (R-ID), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), and Steve Daines (R-MT) broke from party lines by stating that they oppose the sale of public lands. An amendment in the House of Representatives budget reconciliation bill that would have sold over 500,000 acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah was also removed after widespread and fierce opposition from Republicans in Continental Divide states, led by Representative Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and supported by Representatives Troy Downing (R-MT) and Mike Simpson (R-ID). Representative Jeff Hurd (R-CO) also opposed the inclusion of amendments that would dispose of public lands during House Natural Resources Committee budget hearings. 

On June 11, Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, released a statement on the budget reconciliation bill that included the following sentiment: “This isn’t about building more housing or energy dominance. It’s about giving their billionaire buddies YOUR land and YOUR money.” 

Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) stated, “Public lands make Colorado, Colorado. They make the West, the West. They’re the foundation of our economy, and they represent treasured parts of our culture, our geography, and our history.” 

Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) echoed Sen. Bennet’s position and stated,  “Our public lands are our most cherished heirlooms. They are American treasures that we hand down to future generations…Our public lands are not for sale now, or ever.” 

As Senator Lee considers reintroduction of a budget amendment that would sell public lands, public sentiment in the West remains strongly opposed to the idea. The 2025 Conservation in the West poll found that less than one quarter of voters across the West think that selling public lands to develop housing is the best approach to addressing housing shortages. Community members from towns along the Continental Divide Trail demonstrate the strong public support for keeping public lands public. 

Shelby Hallmark of Silver City, New Mexico stated, “Our public lands are a precious national patrimony, and a major source of economic strength as well as pride here in Grant County. We love our public lands, we recreate on them, and they define our sense of place.” 

Large swaths of land in the Gila National Forest, located near Silver City, were eligible for sale, including locations directly adjacent to the Continental Divide Trail. Known for its iconic river canyons and diverse wildlife, Gila National Forest is essential to the local economy and culture. 

Steve Hill, owner of Pintler’s Portal Hostel in Anaconda, Montana explained the economic value of public lands to his community, stating that, 

“As the owner of Pintler’s Portal Hostel, our business relies on access to and through our Western public lands. We built a small business in Anaconda because these lands provide an avenue and destination for hikers, hunters, fishermen, mountain bikers, trail runners, photographers, horseback riders, birders, and others. From around the world, our guests experience a sensation of wide spaces and natural beauty in a budget-friendly atmosphere. Without it, it is only a cheap place to sleep… Our surrounding public lands have transformed Anaconda from a Smelter and superfund clean-up town to a now thriving and healthy outdoor recreation destination community. Public land access is our heritage, our soul that we protect and preserve. Once gone, they will never return.” 

In a statement to the Continental Divide Trail Coalition (CDTC), Kate Yeater, Director of Communications and Outreach at Salmon Valley Stewardship in Salmon, Idaho described the reality of housing and public lands in Lemhi County, Idaho, where over 90% of the land is managed by the state of Idaho, the US Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. 

“The sell-off of public lands means a blow to the very identity of folks in Lemhi County. It won’t solve the housing issue, and in fact, it’ll increase the wealth gap and make this place unrecognizable to those who have come to love the rugged, remote nature of this rural area,” said Yeater. 

Senators John Barrasso (R-WY) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) continue to support the sale of public lands, despite the critical role that outdoor recreation on public lands plays in Wyoming’s economy. In 2023, Headwaters Economics found that Wyoming ranked fifth nationally for outdoor recreation as a percentage of state GDP, accounting for 15,800 jobs. 

Voices of opposition to the sale of federal lands are varied, and feedback from residents and community members adjacent to the lands in question raise a multitude of concerns.  A group of eighty-five businesses across Wyoming recently sent a letter to Senators Barrasso and Lummis urging them to vote against the sale of public lands. 

Dr. Michael Tracy of Powell, Wyoming adopts a stretch of the Continental Divide Trail in the state, said of public lands sales, “I can’t make sense of selling any public land for cash. Land and time are two things we can’t make more of, no matter how clever humans may be.” 

Teresa Martinez, who has served as Executive Director for CDTC since its formation, believes that preservation of Western landscapes and public land are essential to healthy landscapes and communities.  

“People need spaces to connect with nature, and we need to preserve the spaces where natural processes thrive,” said Martinez. “These are our reservoirs of clean water and open space–our cultural and ecological treasures. Once they’re sold off, there’s no going back.”