SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-Los Padres ForestWatch staff members are speaking out against the possible sale of federal lands.
The current version of President Trump's budget bill would allow the sale of Bureau of Land Management land close to communities.
It does not include parks, monuments and wilderness areas, but it does include a portion of Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands controlled by the Department of the Interior.
Los Padres ForestWatch Director of Conservation and Research Bryant Baker has been looking into the acreage that would be impacted locally.
"That is still, like 280,000 acres of federal public land in this region so that is Kern county, Santa Barbara County Ventura County, San Luis Obispo County, Monterey county, those are , that is the area we focus on and most of that is around the Carrizo Plain," said Baker.
Carrizo Plain is the largest native grassland in California, that is located in southereastern San Luis Obispo County.
But United States Senator Mike Lee of Utah has said housing prices are crushing families and keeping young Americans from living where they grew up.
He posted on social media this week that the bill would only reduce BLM land within five miles of population centers.
Baker said when a provision written on Monday got rejected because it is not related to the budget, Sen. Lee said he would revise the language.
"It wouldn't include National Forest Land, that is really good, but it would still include all BLM land," said Baker.
He has been watching the reconciliation bill intended to speed up the passage of what the President has dubbed the "One Big Beautiful Bill."
"The reason they are trying to put it in the reconciliation bill is because in reconciliation, " said Baker, you just need a majority of the votes."
Another kind of bill would need a 60 percent majority.
"It is related to the budget because the sale of the land would create revenue to offset tax cuts." said Baker.
The potential sell-off of federal lands, is a provision included in the Big Beautiful Bill that is being changes after being struck down by the Senate parliamentarian.
Baker said there is oil drilling in a lot of those areas as well.
"They are saying we want to sell it so it can be developed, housing development is one of the reasons, the main reason, but it is all worded so vaguely that we are not sure that is would just be limited to housing development but a lot of that land is not suited to housing in the first place that is why is wasn't historically developed," said Baker.
Baker hopes people will understand the risk to valuable public land in in SLO, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties and beyond.
He said the nonprofit has expected assaults on private lands but nothing quite like this.
He said the bill mandates the sale.
Baker urges everyone who is concerned to reach out to their elected officials, their representatives in the House and Senate.
He said are other lands, private lands that could be used for development.
Baker said Forestwatch folks don't want to see more urban sprawl and added that sprawl is not the solution to housing shortages in California.
"I think the big issue here is that this would set a president for Congress mandating the sale of public lands to agencies so if it happens this time, you know, even it is just BLM land in 11 different states who knows what will be the next mandate for sale of federal lands," said Baker.
Baker urges people to visit the area surround the Carrizo Plan to better hopes understand the risk to valuable public land in in SLO, Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties and beyond.
For a link to more information visit, forestwatch.org/news-publications/news/forced-land-sale-provision-stripped-from-senate-megabill
For information about the author of the lands portion of the budget bill visit lee.senate.gov
Your News Channel will have more on the federal land controversy tonight on the news.
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