• Senator Mike Lee's proposal to sell public lands was recently rejected by the Senate parliamentarian.
• The plan aimed to generate revenue by selling up to 3 million acres to address housing needs.
• Bipartisan opposition has emerged, with both Democrats and some Republicans expressing concern.
• A revised plan now suggests selling 1.2 million acres while restricting land use to housing development.
• Conservationists celebrated the proposal's initial setback but continue to plan for future challenges.

A proposal from Republican Senator Mike Lee to sell millions of acres of public land across Western states has faced significant hurdles, leading to its removal from the GOP’s budget reconciliation bill. The initial plan aimed to sell between 2 and 3 million acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service as part of a strategy to generate revenue for tax cuts, but was deemed in violation of Senate rules by parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, who ruled it did not fit within the parameters of budget reconciliation, which seeks to address fiscal matters only, according to Newsweek and Los Angeles Times.

The proposed sale had drawn bipartisan backlash, with Democrats and some GOP lawmakers opposing the measure. Senator Mike Crapo of Idaho stated his disapproval, and even conservative figures voiced skepticism about the implications of privatizing public land. Environmental advocates expressed relief at the proposal's rejection, with Jennifer Rokala of the Center for Western Priorities calling it a "significant win for public lands," highlighting the value of public lands for future generations, as reported by SFGate and Newsweek.