GOP Plan to Sell More than 2 Million Acres of Federal Lands Is Found to Violate Senate Rules

Senate parliamentarian: Public lands sale plan violates Senate rules

GILLETTE, Wyo. — In a Monday night ruling, U.S. Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who is responsible for interpreting Senate rules, found that Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s plans to include a mass sell-off of public lands in a big tax bill violates Senate rules, per the Associated Press. Although the verdict of the Senate parliamentarian isn’t a concrete ruling, MacDonough cites the very rules the U.S. Senate is obligated to follow. Because th…

Provision for mandatory public land sales in Republicans’ budget bill hits a roadblock after Senate parliamentarian’s ruling

Changes are coming to Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell off millions of acres of federal public land in the West after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the provision violated a legislative rule.  The provision was one of several from the Energy and Natural Resources Committee ruled out by Elizabeth MacDonough, who has served as the parliamentarian since 2012, according to a press release from Democrats in the Senate Budget Committee. The…

Huge Public Land Sale Stripped from Senate Bill—For Now—But Assault on Federal Land Protections Continues - Inside Climate News

On the day the Trump administration announced it was rescinding the national forest roadless rule, the Senate parliamentarian said a proposal to sell millions of acres of public lands cannot go through without 60 votes in the chamber.By Wyatt MyskowUtah Sen. Mike Lee’s proposed amendment to the budget reconciliation megabill that would mandate the sell-off of two to three million acres of U.S. public lands has been ruled out by the Senate parlia…

Senate Officer Removes Public Land Sale From Budget Bill

Last night, the Senate parliamentarian ruled that a provision mandating the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management sell 0.5-0.75% of their federal land estate across 11 western states cannot move forward as part of the Senate’s budget reconciliation bill being finalized this week. The provision, developed by Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, would have resulted in the sale of millions of acres of national forest and other federal lands to ostens…

GOP Plan to Sell 3,200 Square Miles of Federal Lands Found to Violate Senate Rules

GOP Plan to Sell 3,200 Square Miles of Federal Lands Found to Violate Senate Rules

What public lands could be for sale in the Coachella Valley? Local conservation groups react

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Before being stripped from the Senate reconciliation bill, millions of acres of public land in California were identified as eligible for sale. This would allow private entities to purchase this land to develop housing and energy projects. The provision, however, was found to violate the chamber's rules. This land is primarily managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Th…