A bipartisan group in Congress is trying to block what it calls backroom deals to sell public lands.
The Public Lands Integrity Act would classify public lands sales as “erroneous” under special rules for budget reconciliation bills, making them ineligible to pass with a simple majority vote.
It would prevent plans like the one from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) last year, who proposed selling 2 million to 3 million acres as part of the reconciliation package. Lee withdrew the proposal after significant pushback from both sides of the aisle.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) is one of two Republican co-sponsors of the Public Lands Integrity Act. To him, reconciliation is the wrong process.
“Reconciliation is a very partisan exercise meant for certain approach of legislation, and selling public lands has no place in that,” he said. “We need to protect our public lands.”
Other sponsors of the act, introduced in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, include:
- Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM)
- Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO)
- Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV)
- Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT)
- Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO)
- Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM)
- Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Conservation groups and local government leaders applauded the legislation.
“Public lands are the backbone of Arizona’s outdoor heritage, and the threat of selling these treasures off is simply unacceptable,” said Rex Scott, supervisor for Pima County, Ariz., in a statement.
Outside of the reconciliation process, Ciscomani said he would need to look “very closely” at any proposal to sell public lands.
“We can't fast track it, we can't make backdoor deals on it, because that's when things really don't get scrutinized properly,” he said.
Ciscomani, who is up for reelection, said stopping public lands sales was the number one issue voters called him about during the budget talks last year, and he expects it's still top-of-mind in his district.
The campaign for JoAnna Mendoza, a Democrat challenging Ciscomani in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, highlighted his votes to rescind land protections through the Congressional Review Act, including to open up mining in the Boundary Waters.
"Blocking public land sales through reconciliation protects what defines AZ-06—from Sabino Canyon and the Chiricahuas to our hunting access and outdoor economy,” Mendoza said in a statement. “But Arizonans shouldn’t be fooled by Juan Ciscomani’s last-minute conversion.”
Ciscomani has also introduced a bill to redesignate Chiricahua National Monument as a national park.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Boise State Public Radio, Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Northern Colorado, KANW in New Mexico, Colorado Public Radio and KJZZ in Arizona as well as NPR, with support from affiliate newsrooms across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Eric and Wendy Schmidt.
