According to a report from The Salt Lake Tribune, public lands are in Sen. Mike Lee’s crosshairs again, and this time he appears to be targeting national park sites.
Environmental and public land watchdogs sounded the alarm this week after Lee, a Republican representing Utah, introduced an amendment nixing a parks-related provision of a Department of Interior spending bill.
The section that Lee proposes to delete makes clear that national park units are federal lands that are staffed and maintained by federal employees. The move comes just months after another unsuccessful push by the senator to sell off public lands ostensibly to build affordable housing.
Park advocates worry that deleting the language could enable the Trump administration to begin downsizing and selling off national parks lands.
“The American public is not clamoring to get rid of national parks,” said Kristen Brengel with the National Parks Conservation Association. “It’s very difficult to know who he’s speaking for in all of this.”
The park service manages not only Utah’s famed “Mighty Five” national parks in southern Utah, but also smaller units like the Golden Spike National Historic Park in Box Elder County, Dinosaur National Monument near Vernal, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area at Lake Powell and Timpanogos Cave near American Fork.
Attempts to contact Lee’s office for comment Thursday were not successful, The Salt Lake Tribune said.
Lee previously sought to sell off a portion of the West’s non-park service federal lands as part of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” in June, asserting it would help communities build much-needed housing. The plan proved deeply unpopular, including among hunters, anglers and Lee’s own conservative base. Lee ultimately withdrew his amendment after receiving immense backlash, but blamed it on a Senate rules procedural issue.
“It’s kind of not surprising from Mike Lee,” said Devin O’Dea with Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, of the senator’s latest amendment. “It’s on brand, and something we will continue to oppose.”
Click here to read the full report from The Salt Lake Tribune.
*Note to readers from The Salt Lake Tribune: This story is made possible through a partnership between The Salt Lake Tribune and Grist, a nonprofit environmental media organization.
