Senate Votes To Help States Sell Off Public Lands

[Terrific_tom]

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2015/03/26/3639683/senate-sell-off-public-lands/

Senate Votes To Help States Sell Off Public Lands
by Claire Moser - Guest Contributor Posted on March 26, 2015 at 4:56 pm Updated: March 26, 2015 at 5:09 pm
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"Senate Votes To Help States Sell Off Public Lands"

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The new chair of the powerful Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee secured a vote Thursday afternoon in the U.S. Senate on a controversial proposal to sell off America’s national forests and other public lands.
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) amendment to Congress’s budget resolution passed by a vote of 51-49. The legislation would support and fund state efforts — which many argue are unconstitutional — to seize and sell America’s public lands. These include all national forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, historic sites, and national monuments.
Murkowski’s amendment follows a similar proposal from House Natural Resources Committee Chair Rob Bishop (R-UT) to spend $50 million of taxpayer dollars to fund the sale or transfer of U.S. public lands to states.
The land grab proposals in Congress this year appear to echo the calls of outlaw rancher Cliven Bundy, best known for his armed standoff with federal officials last year, who has infamously refused to recognize the authority of the federal government, including over public lands.
Murkowski’s proposal to sell off public lands, however, is meeting stiff opposition from other western senators. On a conference call yesterday, Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) said that they are determined to turn back legislative attacks on the outdoors. Bennet called efforts to sell off lands to reduce the federal deficit “an assault on our public lands.”
Senator Heinrich also introduced an amendment Wednesday which would block any effort to sell off public lands to reduce the federal deficit. Heinrich said that “selling off America’s treasured lands to the highest bidder would result in a proliferation of locked gates and no-trespassing signs in places that have been open to the public and used for generations.”
Public opinion research has found that a majority of Westerners oppose land grab efforts and believe that transferring public lands to state control will result in reduced access for recreation; higher taxes; increased drilling, mining and logging; and a high risk that treasured public lands will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Over the past few months, sportsmen’s groups have also been battling state efforts to seize and sell off public lands by rallying in state capitols across the West. Land Tawney, Executive Director of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, thanked Senator Heinrich for introducing his amendment and fighting for public lands.
“American hunters and anglers have consistently stood up in support of U.S. public lands since Theodore Roosevelt set them aside for all Americans more than a century ago,” Tawney said. “Today, Congress has responded.”
The dueling Senate amendments are expected to be voted on during the Senate’s “vote-o-rama” budget amendment series later on Thursday.

 

[wiscwhip]

Senate Votes To Help States Sell Off Public Lands......

.....of course they did!:rolleyes:

 

[bowhunternw]

What will be the result of this or what is the reasoning. I can't really imagine that they would make the mistake of destroying the nations national parks.

 

[John-W-WI]

Typical news story, so slanted in their views they left many details out. I wish the media still did reporting, instead of editorials.

For the record, I'm not entirely sure if we should sell some of our land or not. I know Wisconsin owns a LOT of public land. Seems like too much some times to me. Not trying to start a battle, just giving my opinion.

-John

 

[wiscwhip]

Of the 5.7 million public acres in WI(16.5% of the total land area), the State only owns 1.6 million of those acres, with the Feds owning about 1.5 million acres. The counties own 2.6 million acres of public land, making them the largest of the 3 ownership groups by about 40% over each of the other 2 groups. Using State of WI numbers, approximately 640,000 hunters(not just deer hunters) use public land for hunting each year. If you do the basic math, that is about 54.5 acres of land per hunter, which is not really that much when you think about it and is a questionable number at best. Many of those acres in the total allow no hunting, becasue they are fishing only easements or have some other stipulations. Keep in mind, not all acres are equal when it comes to hunting opportunities either, not to mention that many of those acres are used for far more activities than hunting. I'd say we are right where we need to be when it comes to open land for public recreation, we just need to find ways to redirect and generate funds to operate these lands from more than just a park sticker and on the backs of hunters and fishermen.

 

[Steve Bartylla]

I can't really imagine that they would make the mistake of destroying the nations national parks.

I can. The human race has amazing abilities to forget about tomorrow for a temporary quick and easy fix today. No worries, though. When they are explaining why we need to sell off the greatest treasures this country has to offer, which are our natural resources, to the highest bidder, they'll spin it to the point that many of those most negatively impacted by it will be chearing them on.

I doubt they'll sell off the parks right away. Instead, it will the worthless grounds. You know, the lands used for hunting and fishing, and they'll say they are unused and costing us $$$$$$$$ a yr to maintain, when we could use the sale to reduce the deficit. When you really think about it, it only makes sense to sell off that ground. I mean, who wouldn't want Walmart to fill in a portion of the Horicon Marsh and level parts of the Nic Nat Forest?! Think of the convienience of having one right next door to the new apartments that will be poping up in the marsh and forest, as well as how handy it will be for those working the night shifts at the new industrial waste containment plant to slip over there on their breaks when they forgot to bring lunch

 

[SD51555]

This is a hard issue, and it's not going to get any better going forward (land use/access in general).

 

[Bowsnbucks]

I just ask all to take note of which party is promoting the selling. The HUNTER - OUTDOORS - FRIENDLY ( ???????????? ) folks. This action will transfer millions of PUBLICLY - OWNED land into the private hands of those corporations that already have B-I-L-L-I-O-N-S of dollars - for their unrestrained pirating. Sounding more and more like Russia, where the few rich own just about everything and the masses have no say. What happened to government working for ALL the people and not just a few ( with the money )????????????