That Was Quick: Hunters Stopped a Bill to Privatize Over 3 Million Acres of Public Land

In late January, a Republican congressman for Utah introduced a bill to privatize more than 3 million acres of public lands. It took hunters and outdoors lovers just a week to convince him to withdraw the bill.

"I'm a proud gun owner, hunter and love our public lands," Congressman Jason Chaffetz, wrote in an Instagram post announcing his decision. "The bill would have disposed of small parcels of lands Pres. Clinton identified as serving no public purpose, but groups I support and care about fear it sends the wrong message."

Chaffetz's DC office confirmed his decision, though provided no further comment.

Hunters have a legacy of conservation in the US, serving a desire to keep land and animals healthy and wild so that they can continue to enjoy their sport. And they're a powerful group, that's capable of swaying politicians who might not be as eager to listen to environmentalists. As President Trump's administration, and a GOP-controlled congress, gear up, there have been a lot of concerns about widespread privatization of public lands. If the trajectory of this first bill is an indication, hunters will be a powerful ally for everyone concerned about preserving America's public land.

Chaffetz's bill sought to sell off parcels of land across the US totalling 3.3 million acres, including more than 130,000 acres in Utah.

"The long overdue disposal of excess federal lands will free up resources for the federal government while providing much-needed opportunities for economic development in struggling rural communities," Chaffetz said in a press release on the bill.

As he noted in his Instagram post, these lands were originally identified two decades ago by Bureau of Land Management officials under the Clinton Administration, but action to actually sell them to private landowners never made it very far. Similar bills had been introduced before, but when Chaffetz brought forward his version last week, there was an outcry.

Hunters and conservationists protested, in small rallies. Tens of thousands of Americans signed a petition to protect public lands, launched by Sportsmen's Access, a coalition of sporting and conservation associations that includes Trout Unlimited and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. Hunters online railed against the bill. Brodie Swisher, writing for bowhunting.com called the bill "a throat-punch to sportsmen."

Evidently, Chaffetz heard the message and decided to withdraw the bill. But another bill he introduced remains on the table: H.R. 622, which would eliminate the BLM and US Forest Service's abilities to enforce federal law on public lands and give that power to the state level. This action has many public land defenders concerned as well, and signals that there will be lots of conflict to come.