Neguse and Bennet: “We must oppose any provisions that would stake a for sale sign on our nation’s public lands.”

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Joe Neguse and Senator Michael Bennet issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources issued newly released budget reconciliation text. The bill now seeks to sell off between 2 and 3 million acres of land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service—greenlighting the sale of public lands in Colorado, Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

“Colorado, like so many Western states, is proud to be home to millions of acres of treasured public lands—places people from across the country and around the world flock to for outdoor recreation and to experience the natural beauty of the outdoors. Auctioning off these lands to pay for President Trump’s radical agenda, including the prioritization of tax cuts for billionaires and big corporations, is an affront to our core values. We must continue to stand in firm opposition to any provisions that would put a for sale sign on our nation’s treasured public lands.” 

Neguse and Bennet have long partnered on efforts to protect Colorado’s public lands, including through their championing of the CORE Act–a bill that would codify protections for 420,000 acres of the state’s public land, establish new wilderness areas, and safeguard existing outdoor recreation opportunities to boost the economy for future generations.

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