jwilkstn wrote:Good news in the short term, Rep Chaffetz from Utah announced he is withdrawing H.R. 621 after hearing loud and clear from sportsmen!
We may have won this battle, but the war is ongoing.
A sincere thank you to everyone who has made their voice heard on this.
There is another bill proposed by Chaffetz. H.R 622 that is very dangerous to public lands as we know it.The bill:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/622/all-info "
To terminate the law enforcement functions of the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management and to provide block grants to States for the enforcement of Federal law on Federal land under the jurisdiction of these agencies, and for other purposes."
This one is a lot more dangerous, because it is more devious. If you can't get the land, kill the guard dog that stands watch over it. That is what this is.
By the way, I am sure there are specific parcels, maybe landlocked or whatever, that are of no use to the public and could be put to better use in private hands. But the people behind this bill including Rep Chaffetz of Utah are also on record sporting the sale of massive amounts of public land just to finance routine government operation. The "previously identified for disposal and other purposes" language is a bloody open gate. Other purposes...?
That is how Utah and several other states have kept the books balanced for several decades now, by selling state land. No one has ever prospered by pawning the family jewels. Its usually a last ditch effort to buy one more hit.