Proposed public land sales in Alaska are no longer included in the GOP budget bill that is making its way through the Senate this week.
A mandate to sell somewhere between 2 and 3 million acres across the western U.S. was first struck down by the Senate Parliamentarian last week because it was irrelevant to the budget. U.S. Senator Mike Lee, the Utah Republican who introduced the provision, then tried to write about 1.2 million acres back in.
But on Saturday, Lee withdrew the land sale provision completely, announcing on X that it was because he was unable to prevent the land from being sold to foreign interests or BlackRock.
Republicans, including U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, initially said selling the land would allow it to be developed into affordable housing. But much of the identified public lands, which could have included areas of the Tongass and Chugach National Forests and remote parts of the Interior, are not suited for housing development.
The idea sparked public outrage among outdoor recreation enthusiasts from across the political spectrum. Some Republican representatives from Colorado, Idaho and Montana even spoke out against the sell-off. U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan indicated support for the land sales before they were stripped from the bill.
Senate Republicans aim to pass the bill by July 4.
