- Moderator
- #101
Bears Ears National Monument
Land totaling the size of Connecticut has been targeted in a new bill in the Republican House, uniting hunters and conservationists in opposition.
Now that Republicans have quietly drawn a path to give away much of Americans’ public land, US representative Jason Chaffetz of Utah has introduced what the Wilderness Society is calling “step two” in the GOP’s plan to offload federal property.
The new piece of legislation would direct the interior secretary to immediately sell off an area of public land the size of Connecticut. In a press release for House Bill 621, Chaffetz, a Tea Party Republican, claimed that the 3.3m acres of national land, maintained by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), served “no purpose for taxpayers”.
But many in the 10 states that would lose federal land in the bill disagree, and public land rallies in opposition are bringing together environmentalists and sportsmen across the west.
Set aside for mixed use, BLM land is leased for oil, gas and timber, but is also open to campers, cyclists and other outdoor enthusiasts. As well as providing corridors for gray wolves and grizzly bears, low-lying BLM land often makes up the winter pasture for big game species, such as elk, pronghorn and big-horned sheep.
Jason Amaro, who represents the south-west chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, describes the move as a land grab.
Much More: DESPICABLE: Republicans Move To Sell Off 3.3 Million Acres Of National Land
This is wrong! This is stealing part of America's public heritage for private ownership and use! This must be stopped.
Selling is not stealing, moron, and most of the land the federal government owns is not particularly beautiful. Furthermore, the feds often mismanage the land by allowing overgrazing and clear cutting. It will be better managed and more productive in private hands.
Yes, it is "stealing" if prime public land is sold for private ownership.
No. By very definition buying land is not stealing it.
