Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives struck down a move to sell off thousands of acres of public land across Utah and Nevada Wednesday night after immense pushback from conservationists, sportsmen and other groups who opposed the measure.
Maloy previously said that selling public land could help build affordable housing and address water infrastructure concerns in her district.
Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives struck down a move to sell off thousands of acres of public land across Utah and Nevada Wednesday night after immense pushback from conservationists, sportsmen and other groups who opposed the measure.
Rep. Celeste Maloy, also a Republican, proposed an amendment to President Donald Trump’s budget bill earlier this month that would have put about 11,500 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in fast-growing southwestern Utah up for sale. Maloy said the land could be used to build affordable housing and address water infrastructure concerns in her district.
But Texas Republican Rep. Jodey Arrington, in legislation called a “manager’s amendment,” struck Maloy’s move from the bill. The newly amended budget bill must pass the House Rules Committee before it goes to the full House.
Maloy’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“As we hoped would be the case, Rep. Maloy’s stunt failed. She’s just the latest in a long list of politicians with the bad idea to try and sell off public lands,” said Travis Hammill, the D.C. director for the environmental nonprofit Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, in a statement.
“The through line of those failed efforts is this: love of public lands transcends geography and political party,” he continued. “Americans don’t want to see these lands sold off and time and time again have risen up to make their voices heard.”
Of the 35 million acres the federal government manages in Utah, the BLM manages 22.8 million acres.
Earlier this month, the City of St. George praised Maloy’s proposed amendment, writing in a statement that it would “assist the City of St. George in securing properties that will be critical to our water infrastructure needs in the future.”
Nevada Rep. Mark Amodei joined Maloy in proposing the amendment, which would also allow the sale of thousands of acres of public land in Utah’s neighboring state.
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