In draft legislation issued last week by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, the Federal government has proposed selling off between 2.2 and 3.4 million acres of public land across eleven western states including right here in eastern Idaho and western Wyoming. The reason cited for this potential sell off of public lands is to create “affordable housing for hardworking Americans.” While we are acutely aware of the shortage of affordable housing locally, we are hard pressed to see how selling local federal land without parameters of meaningful affordability and density requirements actually helps the local affordable housing situation. We do not believe selling public lands solves the local housing crisis and it would be a detriment to public access.
Access to federal public land is a big reason why many people live in Teton Valley and is a large economic and tourism driver for our local commerce and community. Public lands connections would be jeopardized and would never be returned if this land is sold off. We truly hope Idaho Senators Risch and Crapo serve Idaho public lands interest with the intent to preserve them for years to come.
If you would like to dive deeper and better understand all that is in the current version (as of June 17, 2025) of the proposed Energy and Natural Resources text to be included in the budget reconciliation bill, you can find a full draft and an FAQ below.
Energy and Natural Resources FAQ
Full draft of Energy and Natural Resources text
For greater context as to how and if the Federal government has a precedent for selling federal public land to allow for a wider variety of use on that land, we recommend the Center for Western Priorities for information on housing and public lands. Additional information on the widespread impact these proposals could have can be found here. We encourage you to continue to follow along on the changes proposed to the bill as amendments can get dropped or added until the bill is finalized and voted on by the Senate. We understand the Senate is working to vote on the bill before their July 4 recess.
If you’re looking for a sample statement to share in opposition to this legislation, we've provided some sample language:
“Hi, my name is [your name here] and I am a constituent from [town]. I’m calling to strongly urge Senator [Senator’s name] to oppose the mandatory disposal of Bureau of Land Management land and National Forest System land for housing, found in the Energy and Natural Resources text proposed to be part of the budget reconciliation bill. Public lands should continue to be protected and preserved and not sold off without parameters and regulations as to what can be done with them. Thank you for your time.”
We encourage anyone who feels strongly about this topic to please reach out:
For Idaho Residents:
Senator Risch - 208-523-5541
Senator Crapo - 208-522-9779
For Wyoming Residents:
Senator Barrasso - 202-224-6441
Senator Lummis - 307-886-6050