Budget could allow public land sell-offs

Late last week, the U.S. Senate passed a budget resolution requiring the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to raise $1 billion in revenue to reduce the federal deficit over the next ten years. It’s viewed as a tactic to allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But the mandate would open the door to raising revenue in other ways, too—perhaps by selling off public lands. On Wednesday, six Western senators, including Jon Tester of Montana, penned a letter to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, chair of the committee, expressing concern that the budget resolution “could be used by those in Congress who support selling off our public lands.” The moves give committee leaders the ability to advance proposals for drilling in ANWR — or other areas, as long as they would generate new funds for the U.S. Treasury. Once the budget is approved, a later bill following its instructions is immune from the type of Democratic filibuster that has blocked drilling in the past...more

Here is the letter, and of course Martin Heinrich is one of the signers.
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