House passes “big giveaway” budget bill; drilling and mining interests to reap huge rewards
Sawbill Lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, Minnesota
Dan Dische, USFS, Flickr
Bill forces leasing, exposes Arctic Refuge and Boundary Waters to harm
WASHINGTON D.C. (May 22, 2025) — A budget reconciliation bill was passed by the House absent an unprecedented and widely criticized amendment that would have sold off over 500,000 acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah.
"The so-called ‘one big beautiful bill’ is just one big giveaway. By opening hundreds of millions of acres to drilling, mining and logging [...] this bill harms the tens of millions of people who like to hike, recreate or find solace in the outdoors."
However, the bill still forces reckless oil and gas leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on other public lands; sharply reduces the royalties paid to the American people when fossil fuel companies deplete our natural resources; allows special interests to effectively buy their way out of legal scrutiny when launching new development projects; and dramatically expands mining and logging, including by reinstating mineral leases in the sensitive headwaters of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
Tracy Stone-Manning, president of The Wilderness Society, made the following statement about the news:
"We appreciate Rep. Zinke's work to prevent the House from selling our public lands to pay for tax cuts for the rich. But even without selling off public lands, the so-called ‘one big beautiful bill’ is just one big giveaway. By opening hundreds of millions of acres to drilling, mining and logging to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy, this bill harms the tens of millions of people who like to hike, recreate or find solace in the outdoors. We now call on the Senate to protect our public lands for future generations and reject this massive giveaway to powerful corporate interests.”
Contact: newsmedia@tws.org / max_greenberg@tws.org
