WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member on the U.S. Energy and Natural Resources Committee, released a list of public lands in New Mexico that are at risk of being sold off if Republicans’ reconciliation package becomes law. Senate Republicans’ reconciliation package mandates the unprecedented sale of two to three million acres of public land, including in both Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service lands.
“Our public lands hold our shared identity: they are where we gather, fish, hunt, and hike. These lands house our collective history, support jobs, and sustain our rural economies. From the hiking trails near the Sandia Crest to the biking trails of the Monumental Loop to the lands surrounding the Santuario de Chimayo, these places are the anvil on which our identities are forged. We can’t let Republicans take them from us.
“Republicans can’t fool us: their scheme to sell public lands has nothing to do with affordable housing or lowering costs for families. It’s a direct attack on every New Mexican, whether you have an elk tag, a fishing license, a backpack, a tent, a mountain bike, or a soft spot, special memory, or sacred connection to a particular place important to you, your family, and your ancestors.
“Now is the time to raise your voices and join our fight to keep public lands in public hands – before we lose these lands forever.”
The following list includes many, but not all, of the places in New Mexico at risk of being sold off if Senate Republicans’ reconciliation bill becomes law:
BERNALILLO COUNTY
CHAVES COUNTY
CIBOLA COUNTY
DOÑA ANA COUNTY
EDDY COUNTY
GRANT COUNTY
LINCOLN COUNTY
LOS ALAMOS COUNTY
LUNA COUNTY
MCKINLEY COUNTY
OTERO COUNTY
RIO ARRIBA COUNTY
SAN JUAN COUNTY
SAN MIGUEL COUNTY
SANDOVAL COUNTY
SANTA FE COUNTY
SIERRA COUNTY
SOCORRO COUNTY
TAOS COUNTY
VALENCIA COUNTY
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