Industry News
The assault on our nation’s public lands continues in Congress as the U.S. Senate debates the reconciliation bill. Last week, Utah Senator Mike Lee introduced a provision to the bill that would allow for the sale of up to 3.5 million acres of public land to help pay for tax cuts included in the bill for the wealthiest individuals and corporations. Earlier this week, the Senate Parliamentarian ruled that the provision could not move forward because of Senate procedural rules. However, Senator Lee has announced that he would narrow the scope of the provision to include it in the bill, maintaining the potential for massive public land sales if the bill passes.
“It was a procedural hurdle, but it is clear that the outside pressure from conservation groups, outdoor recreation enthusiasts, hook and bullet crowd, and snow sports—all these different folks have really been ramping up pressure and that has helped tremendously,” Ben Gubits said, Vice President of Campaigns and Advocacy at Protect Our Winters. Opposition to the sale of public lands has come from individuals contacting their senators and representatives as well as from advocacy groups like Protect Our Winters. Though the public land sale provision is out of the bill temporarily, Gubits emphasized that public lands still could suffer as a result of the reconciliation bill passing. “There are other provisions within this bill outside of the public land sales that Mike Lee has offered that are a real threat that aren’t getting as much attention.”
According to Gubits, one of the more concerning provisions still active in the bill would require the Bureau of Land Management to hold quarterly sales of permits for oil and gas drilling on public lands in nine different western states for the next decade. “It essentially opens up so much more of our public lands that are BLM managed to oil and gas extraction and that is something that should really concern outdoor enthusiasts,” Gubits said. “Long story short, there’s still a ton of dangerous and extremely detrimental assaults on our beloved public lands within this bill.” Oil and gas permits would also be sold in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve, both in Alaska.
Protect Our Winters began an advocacy campaign in support of public lands and clean energy in May, while the reconciliation bill was in front of the House of Representatives. Gubits said that Protect Our Winters brought a team of athletes, brand partners, scientists, and creatives to Washington D.C. for two days of direct lobbying of Republican Senators and Representatives. Since May, these lobbying efforts have continued through a series of virtual meetings with lawmakers. Protect Our Winters has brought athletes, scientists, musicians, and other advocates to Capitol Hill around twice per year for close to 10 years. This consistency has allowed them to build lasting relationships with lawmakers and staffers that help Protect Our Winters secure meetings when critical issues are before Congress, like this reconciliation bill. Gubits said, “It really is an all hands on deck moment for us because this is the most active assault on our mission that we’ve seen in United States history.”
Protect Our Winters athletes and brand partners have also spoken out in support of public lands in recently published op-eds. Hannah Berman, Senior Sustainability and Philanthropy Manager at Aspen Skiing Company, wrote a piece with pro skier Brody Leven pointing out that the vast majority of Americans oppose the sale of public land and called on all senators to act to protect public lands. Nick Polumbus, President of Whitefish Mountain Resort encouraged Montana lawmakers to “stay strong and stop any attempt to privatize public lands in Montana” in an op-ed in the Whitefish Pilot. In Idaho, Wild Rye founder Cassie Abel encouraged Idahoans to speak up in support of public lands.
For the past three weeks, Protect Our Winters has focused their efforts on a few key senators to try and secure protections for public lands and clean energy. These senators include Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, John Curtis of Utah, James Risch and Mike Crapo of Idaho, Tim Sheehy and Steve Daines of Montana, and a few others including the Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota. Gubits felt that cracks were detectable in a few of the Republican senators support for the bill. Idaho senators Risch and Crapo have made statements in support of protecting public lands.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Axios that voting on the bill could begin on Friday and continue through the weekend. Protect Our Winters is continuing their advocacy efforts and preparing for the bill to return to the House if passed quickly by the Senate. “We are hopeful that the folks on both the house and senate side that have publicly advocated for protecting clean energy tax credits will hold strong. We are hoping that the folks on the senate side that have publicly said that they won’t vote for a bill that has public land sales in it, we hope that they hold strong,” Gubits said.
As the legislative countdown begins, contacting your senators remains an important form of public action for protecting public lands alongside the direct advocacy work of groups like Protect Our Winters.
