Every year, millions of Americans turn to the country’s public lands for tranquility, adventure or the simple pleasure of being out in nature.
But some legislators and businesses are pushing to sell or transfer tracts of public land to the highest bidder, opening these precious places to logging, mining and drilling. Such development would risk polluting or even destroying some of our country’s most pristine and untouched wildernesses… forever.
An important new bill for national parks
The Public Lands in Public Hands Act — a bill with bipartisan support — would serve as a critical buffer between these extraordinary natural places and the interests trying to destroy them.
That’s why we are leading the effort to pass the bill and ensure that future generations can enjoy our country’s natural wonders.
It could be a river bend where the trout always bite, or a favorite climbing route. A camp site visited by the whole family annually, or a hike leading to a meadow bursting with wildflowers.
These are the sites of cherished memories. And there’s a good chance they’re on public land.
Nearly 30% of all U.S. land is managed by the federal government for the use and enjoyment of the general public. But these lands are increasingly under threat.
Lawmakers from several states, most prominently Utah, have proposed taking control of federal land, a move that would allow states to easily sell off formerly public land to developers.
Pubic lands are too important to sell off
The Public Lands in Public Hands Act would prohibit the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Forest Service from selling or transferring large chunks of public land to states and developers without Congressional approval.
Red rock canyons. Estuaries that shelter millions of birds. These natural landscapes are too precious to be entrusted to private interests, especially mining and drilling companies.
