Public Lands in Oregon at Risk as Senate Reconciliation Bill Revives Land Sale Scheme
| Contact: Arran Robertson |
PORTLAND, OR — A budget reconciliation proposal introduced by Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Chair of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, would force the sale of up to 3.2 million acres of public lands across the West, including in Oregon. The bill, released last night, includes a provision requiring both the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management to sell off public lands to offset tax cuts and other budgetary expenses (see pg. 30 of the bill).
The minimum land affected would exceed the size of Rhode Island and Delaware together. Oregon is explicitly listed as an eligible state where lands would be sold off.
Recent polling shows 76% of Oregonians oppose selling public lands to pay for an extension of Trump’s tax cuts.
“Public lands belong to everyone. They shouldn’t be pawned off to offset tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy,” said Quinn Read, Executive Director at Oregon Wild. “This bill opens the door to selling off some of Oregon’s most treasured landscapes, potentially turning national forest edges into luxury estates with no real requirements for affordability or community benefit.”
While the bill is framed as a housing initiative, its primary function is to generate revenue. The legislation includes no safeguards to ensure the lands are used for workforce or affordable housing. Vague legislative language leaves room for high-end development on ecologically important and wildfire-prone lands.
An analysis from Headwaters Economics showed that the policy of selling off public lands for housing is complicated by wildfire and drought risks, as well as other development challenges.
“This proposal is deeply unpopular, risky, and short-sighted,” continued Read. “Especially in places like Bend, expanding development deeper into fire-prone public lands doesn’t just damage habitat and recreation, it puts communities at greater risk.”
Just weeks ago, a proposal to sell off public lands in Utah and Nevada was stripped from the House version of the budget reconciliation bill after bipartisan backlash. Oregon Reps. Val Hoyle and Andrea Salinas voted against that amendment; Rep. Cliff Bentz voted in favor.
