Sen. Mike Lee's (R–Utah) proposal to require the sale of a de minimis amount of Western public lands was dealt a potentially fatal blow yesterday when the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the provision could not be included in the reconciliation bill moving through Congress.
The ruling follows a relentless opposition campaign to Lee's proposal from Democrats, conservation groups, and even some conservatives who've painted doomsday scenarios about Americans' "birthright" being sold off for luxury condo developments.
Lee said yesterday that he's in talks with the parliamentarian to include a scaled-back version of his initial proposal in the budget bill.
