Sen. Steve Daines is in talks with Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chair Mike Lee to minimize or prevent public land sales in the Republicans’ tax cut, energy and national security megabill.
Daines, a Montana Republican who has repeatedly vowed that he will never support the sale of public lands, told reporters Wednesday that any agreed-to sales would be microscopic and that he needs significant changes from what Lee (R-Utah) is currently proposing.
But that Daines is engaging in the discussions at all is likely to set off a firestorm from public lands advocacy groups, who were banking on him and the rest of the Montana delegation to kill Lee’s efforts.
“We are, just in terms of getting the language such that it would be acceptable for me,” Daines said when asked if he’s working with Lee on language to sell public lands. “It’d be very, very narrow in scope … I told him I’m gonna have to see some significant changes in what he has.”
