Sale of Public Lands?

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• Unfortunately, this started under the Biden Administration with the BLM selling off 33M acres of the Great Basin to Big Solar … Politicians have always seen “undeveloped land” as money-makers :(

• And the question that needs answering is just how much "public land" is enough "public land"? And why should western states have so much land unavailable to private parties for use in productive endeavors? Having traveled the southwest on foot, raft, and four wheel drive since the 1970's, I have seen public land areas I once could visit, now be off limits to me, much in northern Arizona west of the Kaibab Plateau, some in southeast Utah. Public lands ARE NOT always available to the public. And anecdotally only, the times I have asked a private land owner permission to cross his/her property, it has always been granted. Try that with your local USFS, BLM agent the next time you come to a locked gate.

• Bill, as I wrote to you privately:
  I’m glad you have had good luck with private property owners. You probably wouldn’t here in Big Sur. One problem I have is that I see that often the public land that they are proposing is at coveted tourist areas: I.e. Yosemite, Big Sur, Lake Tahoe, Mt. Shasta, etc. This admin says it would be for housing. Housing for whom? If for those who work in the tourist industry, that would be great. Based on prior performance and statements, I suspect it is for more resorts — some with the Trump name on them. Call me cynical when it comes to this grifter.

• Why do you suppose Montana was left out??

• Hey neighbors : how do you feel about a glitzy trump resort right next door?
  Yup, thought so....sigh .
  Stop them greedy oligarchs !

• Much of the proposed land is for "housing." Take a look at the maps. A great deal of it is in the middle of no where. No cities, urban centers (thank god) and no jobs. Available jobs would require long commutes and likely not worth the time and effort. Good points here on Private ownership, but public land is precious, and hopefully remain undisturbed as much as possible. Good question on why Montana was left out. Large state with the smallest population.

  • Montana was left out because the Montana Representative said he wouldn’t vote for the Big Ugly Bill if public land were put up for sale, so they took Montana out of the bill. When they did that, the same representative objected. (While I haven’t found the reason for this, yet, my best guess is that it wasn’t JUST the sale of public land in Montana he objected to, but the sale of any public land in the west.

• https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=heJwVdUm-CA

• Fortunately it looks like the Senate Parliamentarian ruled (on Monday 6/24) that this Federal Land Sales provision needs to be excluded from the Spending Bill in order to keep the Spending Bill tracking under the budget reconciliation process (which avoids the risk of a filibuster). A little breathing room but we should continue tracking this effort.