(July 8, 2025) – The Conservation Alliance and our Brands for Public Lands coalition are relieved that public land sales were ultimately withdrawn from the reconciliation bill passed by Congress and signed by the President last week. We want to thank all of the businesses that joined this fight. Our community, part of the $1.2 trillion outdoor economy, were deeply involved in the budget reconciliation process over the past months.
However, other items remained in the final bill that are dangerous for our public lands as well as the health and well-being of communities across the U.S. Among many problematic provisions, the bill allows for expedited environmental reviews on land development, expanded onshore oil and gas projects across the West, and opening Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to lease sales.
America’s great outdoors are most valuable to our economy if they remain unspoiled. The sustained, long-term benefits of outdoor access for activities like recreation, tourism, and subsistence farming far outweigh the short term gains of resource extraction and mineral withdrawals. Yet the so-called “One, Big Beautiful Bill Act” prioritizes development over conservation, jeopardizing the resilience of, and access to, the outdoor spaces and wild landscapes our communities and businesses rely on.
While we are disappointed in much of the final bill, we are grateful to our business members, partners, and champions in congress who fought to eliminate public land sales from this process. The collaboration and cooperation on both sides of the aisle is a testament to the unifying nature of public lands conservation. From hunters and anglers, to hikers and paddlers, Americans of all political backgrounds treasure public lands and the freedom to access them. Protecting these spaces has long been a shared value that bridges divides and reflects the best of who we are as a nation.
TCA looks forward to continuing to work with members of congress on meaningful solutions to public lands management that address the needs of communities, the outdoor recreation economy, and our natural resources.
About The Conservation Alliance
The Conservation Alliance harnesses the power of businesses from a wide range of industries to protect outdoor spaces and wild places. We drive a proactive agenda to protect nature utilizing strategic advocacy and grantmaking, leveraging business influence, and building deep partnerships with grassroots organizations and local communities to collectively deliver high impact conservation outcomes, protecting North America’s outdoor places and wild spaces for everyone. Since 1989, we’ve awarded $34.5 million in grants and helped protect over 125 million acres and 4,964 river miles, remove or halt 43 dams, purchase 22 climbing areas, and designate five marine reserves and one national marine sanctuary. For complete information about The Conservation Alliance, visit conservationalliance.com.
Media Contact:
Lilly Zoller
248-302-1553
lilly@conservationalliance.com
