FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
May 21, 2025 
 

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Public Lands Victory: BHA Applauds Removal of Public Land Sale Amendment from House Budget Reconciliation Bill 

Grassroots pressure from hunters and anglers leads to withdrawal of controversial proposal from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which still includes provisions threatening iconic public lands and waters. 

MISSOULA, Mont. — Backcountry Hunters & Anglers (BHA), North America’s leading public lands advocacy group, is celebrating a major win: the withdrawal of provisions in the House budget reconciliation bill—the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1)—that would have authorized the sale of nearly 500,000 acres of public lands in Utah and Nevada.  

These provisions, introduced at the last second during the House Natural Resources Committee markup of the bill by Representatives Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy (R-UT), would have set a dangerous precedent for public land policy, circumventing existing public land sale authorities like the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act (FLTFA), and providing no reinvestment in conservation or public access. Their inclusion sparked a wave of national opposition led by BHA's grassroots network of hunters, anglers, and public land advocates. Here’s what some of those voices had to say: 

"This is a landmark moment for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and every American who values our nation’s public lands legacy," said Patrick Berry, BHA President and CEO. "When the BHA community shows up, speaks out, and takes action, we prove we can defy the odds and stop bad ideas before they become bad law." 

"We extend our deep appreciation to Representative Ryan Zinke and Representative Mike Simpson for publicly opposing language in the House budget reconciliation bill that would sell off and sell out our public lands legacy,” said Kaden McArthur, BHA's Director of Policy & Government Relations. “As the Senate considers a budget reconciliation bill, hunters and anglers across the nation must continue the groundswell of opposition to public land sales so it is understood that this is a line in the sand that we will not allow to be crossed.” 

“A budget reconciliation bill debated into the wee hours, without public input, is no place to decide the future of Americans’ shared assets,” said Caitlin Curry, Vice Chair of the Utah Chapter of BHA. “This misguided attempt to bypass existing public process and agency oversight yields a scary future for the disposal of public lands moving forward, threatening outdoor recreation in our state and beyond. We applaud the representatives who stood against these public land selloffs. Because Utah is not for sale.” 

“Nevadans have repeatedly stood up for public lands, the vast wild spaces that define our outdoor heritage," said Nicholas Maus, Chair of the Nevada Chapter of BHA. “This time, the public pushed back and won. Removing these reckless land sale provisions shows that when hunters, anglers, and public land advocates speak with one voice, Congress listens.” 

Despite the removal of provisions to sell off public lands, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act still contains provisions strongly opposed by BHA, including: 

• Reversing a 20-year mineral withdrawal in the Superior National Forest in Minnesota that threatens the health of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and reinstating Twin Metals’ mining leases, exempted from judicial review

• Requiring oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge over the next ten years and reinstating previously canceled leases, exempted from judicial review, as well as rescinding previous environmental reviews 

• Undermining the Roadless Area Conservation Rule

• Rescinding Bureau of Land Management funding allocated for conservation, ecosystem and habitat restoration projects 

When the bill, along with provisions to sell off public lands, was reported by the House Natural Resources Committee on May 6, 2025, BHA immediately got to work activating its grassroots network, launching its  United We Stand for Public Lands  campaign, and mobilizing tens of thousands of advocates. Volunteers flooded congressional offices with calls, emails, and messages demanding that elected officials reject the proposal—resulting in BHA’s third-most utilized action alert in the organization’s history. 

BHA will continue its opposition to language in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that would expedite the development of intact fish and wildlife habitat on our public lands and waters. BHA urges all public land owners to stay engaged—by contacting elected officials through BHA’s action center, speaking out in their communities, encouraging others to join BHA’s ranks, and donating to fuel the next phase of the United We Stand for Public Lands campaign. For now, this victory is a powerful reminder: collective action works, and a united community can shape the future of our public lands.

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure North America's outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands, waters, and wildlife. To learn more about issues important to BHA’s membership, visit https://www.backcountryhunters.org/our_issues.