Native Plant Conservation Campaign News: Responding to Public Opposition, Bill to Sell Millions of Acres of Public Lands Withdrawn. Potential Important Plant Areas Protected.
February 9, 2017
In January, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) introduced a bill that would have directed the Bureau of Land Management to sell off 3.3 million acres of federally owned lands in the western U.S. — an area the size of Connecticut.
According to
Wilderness Watch, more than 14,000 letters were sent in opposition to the bill. Further, a recent
comprehensive poll in 7 western states found that the public strongly opposes changes in the management of public lands, including their disposal. The poll also found 80% support the protection of national monuments. Congressional leaders have proposed rolling back national monument designation.
The disposal of public lands is dangerous. When wildlands are developed or mismanaged, the species and resources they contain and the ecosystem services they provide can be lost forever. In 2016, the NPCC and partners started the process of
cataloging Important Plant Areas (IPAs) throughout the U.S. One of the purposes of IPAs is to prioritize lands for conservation based on botanical significance. Public ownership offers the best chance to conserve IPAs, once they are identified. No botanical or ecological evaluation was made of the lands Rep. Chaffetz proposed for disposal.
This is likely to be only one battle in the fight for control of publicly owned lands and resources. This struggle has been rejuvenated following the last election. According to the
Denver Post,
“Chaffetz did not withdraw his H.R. 622 bill, which he first introduced last year, that would transfer law enforcement on Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service land to local sheriff’s deputies. Legislation in Wyoming could pave the way for the transfer of as much as 25 million acres of federal lands to state control. The threat of reversing the Obama Administration’s creation of 29 national monuments under the Antiquities Act of 1906, including Colorado’s Chimney Rock and Browns Canyon, still lingers. Congress is making moves to reverse the Bureau of Land Management’s revised land-use planning rule, a signature Obama Administration project finalized in December 2016 known as Planning 2.0.”
In addition, following promises made in the
Republican party platform, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a rule in January that makes it easier to sell federal public lands or transfer them to local control. The rule arbitrarily designates all federal land sales as “budget neutral”. The House also eliminated rules that prevented the undervaluing of public lands, making the sale of these lands appear more fiscally responsible.
Nonetheless, the withdrawal of the bill does show that, if we organize and speak out, the public can successfully protect botanical and other resources.
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