Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has introduced a scaled-back version of his proposal to make some public lands eligible for sale after the last version was shut down by the Senate Parliamentarian.

The new language, released earlier this week, calls for the selection “for disposal not less than .25% and not more than .50% of Bureau of Land Management Land” within 60 days of the bill’s approval. Additional lists of eligible lands would be published every 60 days after that until the acreage requirement is met. The revised draft strikes National Forest System land from eligibility. 

In total, the amount of BLM land required to be sold would total up to 1.2 million acres across 11 Western states, including Idaho, according to an analysis published by Outdoor Life.  

The original language called for the disposal of 13.2 million acres of NFS land and 8.4 million acres of BLM land, which would have included the bulk of Coeur d’Alene and St. Joe National forests and other public lands throughout the northern half of the state.  

The Inland Northwest Land Conservancy on Thursday said it opposed the selloff of public lands despite the decrease in acreage.  

“Public lands throughout the Inland Northwest make up a significant part of our identity as a region and our way of life,” said INWLC communications and engagement director Maria Vandervert. “BLM managed lands near Spokane and Coeur d’Alene could be nominated for sale, potentially closing them off permanently to public use.” 

Lee's original proposal called for .50% to .75% of BLM land to be made eligible for sale, in addition to .50% to .75% of National Forest System land. 

It was nixed by the Senate Parliamentarian on June 24 due to a rule requiring reconciliation bills to stick only to budgetary matters, known as the Byrd rule.  

It was also met with widespread bipartisan pushback from conservation groups as well as outdoor recreation groups, which Lee attributed to a “massive misinformation campaign” during an interview on The Charlie Kirk Show earlier this week.  

Lee said that those in opposition to the proposal were “trying to dupe conservatives into believing it will somehow endanger the beautiful, scenic landscapes that make the West so special.”  

He also emphasized that the bill would only apply to land that is “in, or immediately adjacent to, existing residential communities.” 

The revised proposal states that BLM lands eligible for sale must be located within 5 miles of “population centers,” but what would be considered a population center in this context is not defined.  

The new language also states that eligible land could be disposed of to provide “infrastructure and amenities to support local needs associated with housing.” 

It is not yet clear which tracts of BLM land would be eligible for sale, if the revision is approved.  

BLM manages nearly 12 million acres of public lands in Idaho, or nearly one-fourth of the state’s total land area. 

Though much of the BLM-managed public lands are in southern Idaho, the agency does manage portions of land throughout the Panhandle.  

If approved, the act would terminate Sept. 30, 2034. An end date was not provided in the previous text.

A decision on whether the revised proposal will advance is expected soon.