FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 12, 2026

MCV calls on Daines, Sheehy to end hasty public land sales

New bill would protect Montanans from future attempts to sell public lands through budget reconciliation gimmicks

(HELENA, Mont.) — Montana Conservation Voters today called on U.S. Senators Steve Daines (R-Mont.) and Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) to back the Public Lands Integrity Act, new legislation that would prevent the sale of federal public lands through the budget reconciliation process.  

“Last year Montanans sent a clear and united message to Washington that our public lands are not for sale,” said Montana Conservation Voters executive director Ben Super. “We watched a dangerous proposal to auction off millions of acres of our public lands nearly cross the finish line through a back-channel budget maneuver. While Senator Daines and Sheehy stood firm against that sell-off in 2025, we cannot leave the future of our public lands to chance every budget cycle. The Public Lands Integrity Act closes the loophole that allows partisan games to threaten our access. We urge our Senators to co-sign this bill and ensure that any conversation about Montana’s lands happens in the light of day rather than buried in a fast-tracked budget bill.” 

Public lands sell-offs are vastly unpopular among the public, especially in Montana, which has nearly 30 million acres of federal public land within its borders. Recent polling commissioned by the University of Montana showed that 84% of Montanans oppose the sale or transfer of federal public lands. 

In 2025, when Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee (R-Utah) introduced an amendment to sell off millions of acres of public lands, Montanans overwhelmingly rejected it. Representative Ryan Zinke, along with Senators Daines and Sheehy, were critical voices in the fight against the selloff amendment, helping secure its defeat.

The Public Lands Integrity Act would add the sale or disposal of federal public lands to the list of extraneous provisions in the Byrd Rule, preventing it from being considered through the fast-tracked reconciliation process. The bill was introduced by Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).