A proposed amendment to a federal budget bill that would have allowed the federal government to sell public lands without public input has been removed following pushback from conservation groups.
The amendment, introduced by Rep. Celeste Maloy (R-UT), was quietly added to H.R.1— the Trump Administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act—earlier this month. It would have allowed the sale of certain public lands in southern Utah and Nevada for “community and economic development” purposes without triggering environmental review or public notice.
According to Maloy, the lands would be handed off specifically to local authorities — in the case of the Utah lands, to the local water district, the city of St George and Washington County.
“My lands amendment would have delivered critical relief to fast-growing communities in my district. Ultimately, it was removed from the reconciliation package,” Maloy commented on May 22 after the amendment was removed from a revised version of the bill before it was passed by the House. “I will continue to fight for Utahns to responsibly manage federal lands that currently landlock our communities and hinder economic growth.”
Land advocates had warned that the change could open the door to unchecked privatization of public lands, especially in rural Western states like Utah, where public lands are central to recreation, tourism, and local identity.
“[The amendment] was concocted with zero public input, with zero opportunity for public review, and with zero understanding of the places potentially impacted,” said Travis Hammill, DC Director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.
Maloy, who represents Utah’s 2nd Congressional District, said the intent was to help rural communities access land for housing and infrastructure.
In Grand County, commissioners debated sending a formal letter opposing the amendment at the May 20 meeting but ultimately declined, with a majority of the commission opposing the letter primarily because the lands in question were not in Grand County, but in Washington County near Zion National Park.
With the amendment now removed, the bill moves forward without the provision.
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