On Jan. 28, U.S. Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) introduced the bipartisan \u201cPublic Lands in Public Hands Act.\u201c The bill would protect outdoor access to fishing and hunting and other outdoor recreational uses by requiring the approval of Congress to sell or transfer public land.<\/p>\n
The Journal\u2019s <\/em>editorial board strongly encourages Rep. Jeff Hurd to co-sponsor this bill and stand up for our public lands, the heart and soul of the 3rd Congressional District\u2019s communities, economies and western heritage. The board also urges Sens. Bennet (D-CO) and Hickenlooper (C-CO) to voice opposition to the sale of America\u2019s public lands.<\/p>\n The bill is a response to Republican interest in selling our public lands as a way to remedy our national debt which, at $36.22 trillion, is a staggering figure creating rightful concern among Americans.<\/p>\n It is also set to increase under President Donald Trump\u2019s promise to extend his 2017 tax cuts and add $4.6 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The new border security measures Trump is seeking would add billions to the deficit, as well.<\/p>\n Reducing spending was a common refrain during Trump\u2019s campaign and has come to roost with his request of lawmakers to identify trillions of dollars in savings through the budget reconciliation process.<\/p>\n What may be less known is that the nation has carried debt since its inception starting with the American Revolutionary War. That continued to grow until 1835 when Congress sold federally owned lands at the same time they cut the budget. Ever since, from economic depressions to deadly pandemics, the deficit has continued to rise.<\/p>\n With a real estate developer in office, it is of little surprise that a majority of Republican lawmakers are resurrecting the idea of selling off federally owned public lands \u2013 the birthright of 335 million Americans \u2013 to generate revenue to offset tax cuts designed to benefit the wealthiest of Americans.<\/p>\n The state of Utah is once again taking the lead to seize public lands, this time with a misleading state taxpayer-funded public relations campaign working to convince Utahans there are \u2018unappropriated\u2019 lands that historically belong to Utah. This is simply not true. At statehood, Utah agreed to relinquish so-called \u2018unappropriated\u2019 lands.<\/p>\n Utah leaders have gone so far as attempting to take their case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which on Jan. 13 denied \u2018original review\u2019 of the state\u2019s request that 18.5 million acres of federally owned and managed lands in Utah be placed under state control.<\/p>\n The state claims the federal government\u2019s ownership of these lands is unconstitutional and sought to sidestep Congress by going straight to the Supreme Court to seek a judgment that would require federal officials to sell or transfer the land.<\/p>\n The strategy Utah officials are counting on \u2013 as are Idaho, Wyoming and North Dakota who supported the state\u2019s lawsuit \u2013 is that the services the federal government provides, such as catastrophic wildfire mitigation, would bankrupt any state landlord. The only recourse would be to raise taxes \u2013 which won\u2019t happen \u2013 lease or sell lands to the highest bidder.<\/p>\n The strategy entirely ignores the fact that the 18.5 million acres of Bureau of Land Management land generates $6.7 billion in economic output, 36,000 jobs and $788 million in tax revenue for Utah each year. Comparatively, in 2023, Colorado\u2019s outdoor recreation economy (hunting, fishing, boating, winter sports, biking, RVing, camping, hiking, motorcycling, and more) accounted for $17.2 billion in economic activity and 132,600 jobs, 4.3% of all state employees.<\/p>\n The whole effort is a terribly cynical and myopic view of the value of public lands, only as a commodity.<\/p>\n Rep. Zinke, President Donald Trump\u2019s Interior Secretary from 2017-2019, said in a Jan. 27 article by the Washington Times<\/em>, \u201cIt\u2019s a \u2018no\u2019 now. It will be a \u2018no\u2019 later. It will be a \u2018no\u2019 forever,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n On behalf of all constituents in the 3rd Congressional District, we urge Rep. Hurd, who lives in and has practiced law in the growing outdoor recreational economy of Mesa County, to join his colleagues in Montana and New Mexico and say no, not now or ever, to selling our public lands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jan. 28, U.S. Representatives Ryan Zinke (R-MT) and Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) introduced the bipartisan \u201cPublic Lands in Public Hands Act.\u201c The bill would protect outdoor access to fishing and hunting and other outdoor recreational uses by requiring the approval of Congress to sell or transfer public land. The Journal\u2019s editorial board strongly encourages Rep. 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