The Idaho Land Issue

The Idaho Freedom Caucus has recently signed onto an amicus brief and joined the American Lands Council in this challenge...

by Rep. Heather Scott Co-Chair Idaho Freedom Caucus.

Idaho, like many western states, is both blessed and burdened by extensive federal ownership of public lands.  While these lands provide many opportunities including recreation, resource extraction, and ranching, they limit private land ownership, reduce local property tax revenues, and increase the risk of wildfires due to poor federal management. Over 60% of Idaho is federally managed, compared to 32% in New Mexico and over 80% in Nevada. With each passing year, more citizens are calling the West home and calling for reforms to federal land policies to put western states on equal footing with eastern states, where nearly all public lands are under state control.

The American Lands Council (ALC) has been championing state and local management of public lands for over a decade, arguing that decades of distant federal control have been ineffective and burdensome for western states. ALC’s mission is to restore states’ constitutional rights to manage these lands, enabling healthier air, water, and wildlife, while promoting abundant outdoor recreation and vibrant communities—goals that resonate with Americans and Idahoans alike.

The American Lands Council is advocating a multi-pronged approach involving legal action and a transparent legislative process to allow states to incrementally acquire and manage specific types of federally controlled public land while working closely with local communities.

The ALC has joined the State of Utah in a Supreme Court case challenging the federal government’s indefinite retention of millions of acres of land within state borders. The lawsuit focuses on “unappropriated” BLM land—land held by the federal government without any designated purpose—and does not include national parks, monuments, wilderness areas, Tribal lands, or military properties.

The lawsuit calls for the U.S. Supreme Court to address critical legal questions regarding the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and unappropriated lands in Utah.

The outcome of this case will inherently impact all 245 million acres of unappropriated land across the country.

The Idaho Freedom Caucus has recently signed onto an amicus brief and joined the American Lands Council in this challenge. 

You can support our efforts to safeguard our public lands for future generations by signing our petition. This will help us show support for ensuring that our public land will remain a cherished resource that benefits people, local communities, wild places and wildlife alike.