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A plan to put millions of acres of SoCal public lands up for sale could be scrapped — for now
The San Gorgonio Wilderness Area would not be affected by the current Senate bill, but hundreds of thousands of acres beyond those bounds would be.
(
Daniel Torok
/
U.S. Forest Service
)
Topline:
A plan to sell millions of acres of public land in California and across the West may be off the table — for now.
The background: The budget reconciliation bill from Sen. Mike Lee of Utah allowed the sale of more than 250 million acres of federal land over the next five years in 11 states: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
The local impact: More than 10 million acres were eligible in California, including swathes of land near Yosemite and in our local national forests, such as around Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead.
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What happened? Late Monday night, the advisor to the U.S. Senate said the plan would violate chamber rules .
How are officials responding? In a social media post , Lee promised to revive the plan with less land up for sale. “We’re winning the fight to stop the sale of our public lands, but it’s not over yet,” California Sen. Alex Padilla said in a statement .
What’s next? Senate Republicans set a deadline of July 4 for a vote on the bill.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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