A bill that would allow the federal government to sell off some public lands in the West is nothing more than a ''skunk in the shower'' and should be pulled from consideration by Congress, Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said in a telephone conference call Thursday morning.

His comment came in response to a question as to whether making changes to the bill proposed by U.S. Reps. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., and Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., could make it palatable.

''If a skunk comes into the house, you can throw it in the shower and clean it with soap, but it's still going to smell bad,'' Schweitzer said. ''You will not get the stink off this one with a little shower and soap.''

The measure is part of a budget reconciliation bill that was recently passed by the House of Representatives, but not included in the Senate version of the bill.

The differences in the two bills will have to be ironed out through negotiations from representatives of the two chambers.

The public-lands proposal would lift an 11-year moratorium on allowing companies or individuals to ''patent,'' or buy a mining claim on public land, as allowed under the 1872 Mining Act.

It also would raise the price to sell the land to $1,000 per acre or market value -- whichever is greater -- from the current price of $2.50 to $5 per acre. It's estimated the provision could raise about $155 million over five years.

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) expects to be appointed as a Senate negotiator, and says he will kill the provision.

Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) said that while he's supportive of selling public lands, it has to be done as a ''homegrown idea.''

''Pombo's language won't survive the Senate,'' Burns said. '' The local folks most impacted by a sale have to be on board, and it needs that community support before it can go forward. I'm not supportive of the language as it is currently written.''

Montana has an estimated 30 million acres of public lands that could be affected by the provision, Schweitzer said. However, Pombo claims that only about 360,000 acres nationwide would qualify.

Critics say the measure is nothing but a ''fire sale'' of public lands that would allow mining companies to file patents and buy public lands at ''bargain basement prices'' without ever proving they have minerals on them, then turn around and sell the property to real estate developers.

Proponents of the provision say it is vital to the nation because it would strengthen the U.S. mining industry.

But Schweitzer said that if it's such a good idea, the proposal ought to be stripped from the budget bill and debated on its own merits.