Public Land Enemy #1

grizzly · Feb 13, 2022

When the Senate votes 99:1 for a bill and the Senator that single-handedly blocks passage supports it on principle, but only stops the bill because he doesn't want public land...

He's Public Land Enemy #1

Every Utahn that hunts, fishes, ATV's, or hikes on land managed by the BLM or Forest Service needs to remember what this guy is willing to do to get rid of public land.

Utah senator blocks internment camp designation, draws ire

On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the forced internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans at the onset of World War II, Republican U.S. Sen. Mike Lee of Utah is getting backlash for holding up the creation of a national historic site at a former internment camp in rural Colorado.

www.ksl.com

hossblur · Feb 13, 2022

Well the good thing is due to overwhelming concern that the feds don't care for the land they control, Lee called for a tax levied on off shore drillers to raise funds to care for those lands??

Just for fun, could someone propose a federal park to honor the Mormon pioneers.
Itvwould be fun to watch that

JPickett · Feb 13, 2022

“he said his long-term goal to transfer federal lands to state control.”

I have to agree that state controlled public land is better then federal. Don’t know how that’s a “public enemy #1” view point. I’m no mike lee fan by the way. Pretty much can’t stand anything from Utah…

mtmuley · Feb 13, 2022

JPickett said:
“he said his long-term goal to transfer federal lands to state control.”

I have to agree that state controlled public land is better then federal. Don’t know how that’s a “public enemy #1” view point. I’m no mike lee fan by the way. Pretty much can’t stand anything from Utah…

State controlled better than Federal? How so? mtmuley

JPickett · Feb 13, 2022

I feel as a state citizen I have way more control over who’s elected and the policies that may/will be implemented. Not land but a good example is wolves in Idaho being managed by the state and not the feds. Much rather have those decisions made in my state and not DC

mtnrunner260 · Feb 13, 2022

I worked with FS and BLM for the last 10 years. There are multiple individuals in both agencies that make state control seem like a good idea. But I fail to see how a state would afford to manage current federal acres without divesting of a significant portion of the land.

grizzly · Feb 13, 2022

JPickett said:
“he said his long-term goal to transfer federal lands to state control.”

I have to agree that state controlled public land is better then federal. Don’t know how that’s a “public enemy #1” view point. I’m no mike lee fan by the way. Pretty much can’t stand anything from Utah…

In The Tempest, Shakespeare said, "Past is Prologue." Basically he's saying that we should use history to see what is coming in the future.

A full 1/3 of all private land in the State of Utah was once state-owned. Think about how much private land is in Utah (virtually every home, ranch, church, CWMU, farm, etc...) and then try and fathom how much 1/3 of that really is... That's an enormous amount of land that Utah has already SOLD!

It is 100% beyond dispute that states sell land and the federal government largely doesn't. Mike Lee wants to give it to the states or sell it. He doesn't even hide it. He says the only Federal land should be National Parks... Anybody here ever hunted, cut firewood, or ridden an ATV in a National Park lately?

State land is largely much more-regulated than Federal land as well. Heck, you can't even camp overnight on State land in Wyoming. Many hunters take for granted being able to just pull off the side of the road on USFS & BLM land and set up camp, get firewood, or unload the wheelers and spend the day trail riding. Our way of life is what Mike Lee is trying to stop.

mtmuley · Feb 13, 2022

JPickett said:
I feel as a state citizen I have way more control over who’s elected and the policies that may/will be implemented. Not land but a good example is wolves in Idaho being managed by the state and not the feds. Much rather have those decisions made in my state and not DC

Wolves? Who cares? What about forest fires? Start there. mtmuley

grizzly · Feb 13, 2022

Wolf management is an interesting rationale for transferring public land to the states to be sold, being that land ownership doesn't negate The Endangered Species Act.

elkassassin · Feb 13, 2022

If Federal Ground is Sold/Transferred to State Land!

BE-F'N-WARE!

BrowningRage · Feb 13, 2022

I truly hate this debate. Not that we have to have it, but that it often feels like Lose-Lose.

I want my state to have control over public lands as we should know best how to manage and share it... Unfortunately, I don't believe my state (Ut) has good policies in place to guarantee those lands remain public... I don't remember exactly, but the state lands have to be managed in the black, or else we sell land off until it is in the black... As has been mentioned, much state land is sold off. And- what kind of access do we all get to state trust lands and the like.? None.?

I get the principle he's holding up... he wants a square mile of land given back from the feds somewhere.? Why don't they just do that.? Get some more checker boarding going on out there. ?

grizzly · Feb 13, 2022

Mike Lee has repeatedly said Senators shouldn't get more than two terms. He's even proposed bills capping Senators to no more than two terms. He says serving longer than that is not what the Founding Fathers intended and that they wanted part-time elected officials who would return to private life after a short tenure. Yet, he's running for his third term.

I hope he loses to somebody that supports public land. A cornerstone of the GOP can't be to sell off public land!

hossblur · Feb 13, 2022

Cheaper to buy off state legislatures than federal.

That's the only reason to support fed management.

But, it's a good one

HikeHunt61 · Feb 14, 2022

BrowningRage said:
I truly hate this debate. Not that we have to have it, but that it often feels like Lose-Lose.

I want my state to have control over public lands as we should know best how to manage and share it... Unfortunately, I don't believe my state (Ut) has good policies in place to guarantee those lands remain public... I don't remember exactly, but the state lands have to be managed in the black, or else we sell land off until it is in the black... As has been mentioned, much state land is sold off. And- what kind of access do we all get to state trust lands and the like.? None.?

Wish we could have the best of both worlds. Feds have financial ownership (meaning lands cannot be sold, only traded in kind), and the states have majority usage control.

The worst rules and most inane enforcement I've ever encountered come from federal entities (BLM, USFS, etc). Most of these people have zero to no local ties- thus the rules and enforcement are purely bureaucratic.

Same thing goes with wildlife- it's great that we have the Endangered Species Act- it's horrible the way the feds and courts execute it, especially the ever-changing goal posts.

hossblur · Feb 14, 2022

HikeHunt61 said:
Wish we could have the best of both worlds. Feds have financial ownership (meaning lands cannot be sold, only traded in kind), and the states have majority usage control.

The worst rules and most inane enforcement I've ever encountered come from federal entities (BLM, USFS, etc). Most of these people have zero to no local ties- thus the rules and enforcement are purely bureaucratic.

Same thing goes with wildlife- it's great that we have the Endangered Species Act- it's horrible the way the feds and courts execute it, especially the ever-changing goal posts.

That actually would be a win win solution. Which is why it won't ever happen.

A major improvement would be putting the BLM office in Eureka NV, or Price UT, or any little town in any BLM state.

Let those who make decisions, live amongst those affected. Makes DC dealing much tougher when you go to the same grocery as the guy your messing with.

You know, if we only had a senator who might push fed ownership and state control.

k22hornet · Feb 15, 2022

"A major improvement would be putting the BLM office in Eureka NV, or Price UT, or any little town in any BLM state."

"The Trump administration moved the BLM headquarters to Grand Junction last year (2020) as part of a plan to relocate more than 300 positions to Colorado and other western states.

Few employees actually moved as part of the BLM relocation; close to 90% left the agency, retired or found other jobs. (Federal News Network)."

So, the bureaucrats at BLM did not want to give up the high life of Washington, DC. and move closer to the lands they are supposed to manage.

Thanks to Brandon Biden, they don't have to.

RELH · Feb 15, 2022

I do not know how your politicians in Utah think about having Federal land under their control. In CA. I would not trust our politicians selling it off to the highest bidder after they jack up the state taxes to pay for the care of the land.
RELH