He said he would try again, and that’s what he’s doing.
Earlier this year, Utah Senator Mike Lee’s efforts to slip permission for a federal lands sell-off into a Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill failed after outraged citizens forced him to withdraw the proposal.
On Monday, December 15, Lee launched another gambit to sell or transfer your public vacationlands to private interests by adding amendments to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, which the U.S. Senate is now considering.
Lee’s 11th-hour ploy is disguised by complex legalese, but if it is adopted, the effect would be to eliminate the legal language that requires the Department of the Interior to protect national park lands, historic trails, and wild and scenic rivers.
Among the onslaught of underhanded amendments launched by Sen. Lee is one that would “strike,” or delete, from the bill the following passage, which says the federal government will protect our federal lands:
“Sec. 130. The Department of the Interior shall maintain all Federal lands designated as, or as a part of, a national park unit, a national scenic or national historic trail, or a wild and scenic river as of May 2, 2025 as Federal land and continue to operate such unit, trail, or river as an entity of the National Park Service including for such purposes as Federal employee staffing and entry, permit, and other fee collections.”
At the same time as he is attempting to orchestrate this unprecedented abdication, Sen. Lee has also proposed an amendment that “would give 24 acres of the Dixie National Forest to the ski resort town of Brian Head, Utah,” in Lee’s own state, reports Politico.
Nature lovers and travelers from across the nation are sounding an urgent alarm—again.
“A vote in favor of Senator Lee’s amendment is a vote to sell America’s national parks. And we won’t stand for it,” said Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA).
“This is a blatant and tone-deaf attack on America’s public lands,” wrote Aaron Weiss of the Center for Western Priorities. “With this amendment, Mike Lee is telling President Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum that even our national parks can be sold to the highest bidder. Our parks are the legacy that we pass along to our kids and grandkids, not lines on a balance sheet.”
“He’s like a car thief who’s going around testing all the doors to see which ones are unlocked and eventually he’s going to steal our outdoor heritage,” NPCA’s Michael Jamison reportedly said of Sen. Lee. “He’s jiggling the door handles and we’ve got to make sure the locks are secure and intact.”
The NPCA has written a suggested script to follow in order to urge your senator to vote no on Lee Amendment #3972. The script can be found at npca.org/dial.
Environment America, a network of some 30 conservation groups, is compiling a petition to implore senators to reject the amendment.
“The future of our national parks hangs in the balance. Senators must stand up now, oppose Senator Lee’s amendment, and vote to protect America’s best idea,” an NPCA statement urged on Wednesday.
In addition to its critical role in protecting nature and clean watersheds, the U.S. National Park System brings in much more money than it costs in federal funding.
The time to contact your senators and tell them to reject Mike Lee’s amendments is now—the Senate is marking up the bill right now. Find your senators and their contact info at www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm.
Update, December 21: Following a public backlash, Sen. Mike Lee withdrew his amendment calling to strike Sec. 130. “Although Lee has withdrawn the controversial proposal, the bill’s text hasn’t been finalized, and the Senate has yet to vote on it,” reports Outside. “Some conservation organizations, like The Outdoor Alliance, a group of outdoor recreationists, characterized the situation as a ceasefire, not a victory, for public lands.” However, the Lee-backed federal lands giveaway to Brian Head, Utah, is now eligible for a full Senate vote.
