From the Rio Grande Foundation:
On this week's interview Paul talks to Jennifer Fielder and Paul Fielder of the American Lands Council. The topic is federal land management and the incredibly destructive, Forest Service-set fires now burning in New Mexico. Jennifer is the CEO and Paul a retired wildlife biologist and Montana State Legislator.
The American Lands Council works to improve federal lands management with the ultimate goal of replacing a great deal of federal management with state control with incentives and resources aligned toward improving both the economic and environmental management of federally-controlled lands in New Mexico and elsewhere.
About the American Lands Council
Decades of distant, federal control over western lands has created a legacy of
neglect, closures, massive wildfires, destruction of wildlife, polluted air and
water, billions of dollars wasted, loss of countless lives and livelihoods, and a
patchwork of devastated communities.
Over 50% of ALL land in the West is owned by the federal government. This is
unfair, and it isn’t working! In-depth legal analysis conducted by the state of
Utah proves that it is unconstitutional for the federal government to retain so
much land within western States. So what is Uncle Sam to do?
The good news is that federal lands can easily be transitioned to state
ownership for more effective, responsible local management. In fact, most
state-owned public lands offer wonderful recreation opportunities and
routinely out-perform federal lands both economically and environmentally.
• PROMISES TO KEEP IT PUBLIC MUST BE UPHELD: States will be required to administer each piece of transferred land as described in the state legislature’s application for conveyance. If the application says it will be public land, the State must keep it public.
• LOCAL VOICES ARE STRENGTHENED: States will be required to coordinate with affected counties to ensure that newly acquired lands are managed consistently with local resource management plans and priorities.
• RESOURCE REVENUES PAY FOR LAND MANAGEMENT AND PUBLIC ACCESS FACILITIES: Income derived from natural resource revenues will pay for ongoing maintenance, management, and wildfire control — making state ownership of the public lands economically sustainable.
• MINERAL, GRAZING, AND WATER RIGHTS ARE PROTECTED: States must honor all existing valid rights and uses, as well as contracts that were in place prior to the transfer. Moratoriums on fee increases will provide long-term certainty for lease holders.
• STATE AND LOCAL BUDGETS GET A BOOST: After land management costs are covered, excess revenues from minerals, timber, grazing, or other productive uses can fund schools, roads, public safety, and other services.
Nobody cares more about our lands and waters than the people who live
nearest to them and rely upon them every day for health, happiness, and
livability. With this knowledge, Canada recently completed a process to allow
its provincial and territorial governments to manage the public lands, waters,
and natural resources within their boundaries. - From the American Lands Council website
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