Sen. Mike Lee says he'll revisit controversial plan to sell public land

Driving the news: "Hunter Nation: You spoke, and I'm listening," Lee posted Sunday on X. "I'll be making changes in the coming days."

What's inside: Lee's proposal would require the sale of about 2.2 million to 3.3 million acres of federally owned land in 11 states, including Utah.

What they're saying: "The bill is fairly clear that the sale should be for housing-related needs," Bob Keiter, a public lands legal expert with the University of Utah, told KUER. "It's much less clear that this addresses affordable housing concerns."

Between the lines: That means lands could be sold for vacation homes, ski villas and other luxury real estate that is unlikely to alleviate Utah's housing shortage.

Caveat: The draft forbids the sale of certain protected lands, like national parks, monuments, recreation areas and wilderness areas.

Yes, but: The measure doesn't protect wilderness study areas, areas of critical environmental concern, or lands that may be removed from national monuments, as President Trump did during his first term.

Zoom in: A Wilderness Society map of land that could be sold under Lee's proposal includes swaths of Alta, Snowbird, Solitude and Brighton, which operate on public land under special use permits from the U.S. Forest Service.

• Those permits likely would protect in-bounds slopes from sale, the winter sports magazine Powder reported — but popular sidecountry terrain is more exposed.

What we're watching: Whether future drafts address possible easements for hiking and skiing access on trails that have been heavily used by the public for decades.