[Jake Neiffer]

The Feds don't have enough land in Nevada and Utah as it is, that's the problem!

Fed Land

[MyFootHurts]

off topic politics removed by moderator

[fairweather friend]

So, Jake, I guess your point is that the Feds own so much land, why not just give it away? I have a different view: This land isn't owned by "the Feds," it's owned by the public-- you and me and 230 million other Americans, not to mention future generations of Americans. It has tremendous value and it already has many productive uses, from resource extraction (logging, mining, and cattle grazing, to name a few of the larger uses) as well as myriad recreational uses (hunting, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, horse riding, watersports, motorsports, etc., etc., etc.) Just read this article in the Guardian that came out last week: Overwhelming response against Chaffetz bill What I love about this article are the interviews they did with hunters and fishermen who live in these rural areas and use these "disposable lands" for both work and play. They couldn't believe anyone would even think to just give it all away! But Chaffetz's proposed land grab was so brazen and his contempt for the American public so obvious, the backlash was immediate and intense. And I'm pretty certain it will continue. If someone in Congress wants to propose selling public land to raise money, then let's talk about how that might be done in the full light of day, with input from the public and extreme vetting of potential buyers. But I doubt that's going to happen. Paying a fair price for the land isn't what Chaffetz's business partners (and campaign donors) had in mind.

[Lost Arbor]

Great news. This type of legislation shows up on a fairly regular basis. Stay diligent, and make your voice heard if you want to see public lands stay that way. It's our land, friends.

[Jake Neiffer]

fairweather friend- good points, I see where you are coming from. I'm not in favor of the Chaffetz bill or a sell off. But I'm frustrated by the conditions of many public lands. What I'm trying to say I guess is if States are better able to manage certain pieces of land I would be in favor of some land transfers, even if it meant less public access.

[cefire]

[Jake Neiffer]

Forest ecology. Maybe its fresh in my mind because I was working on a thinning project before the snow came this year. Its also more glaring on the eastside because the stock densities or so much more out of whack than in the wetter areas. I hate to be a downer but it's just... kinda depressing driving thru the woods over here.

[moonspots]

[drm]

Patagonia and Black Diamond have pulled out of the Outdoor Retailer trade show in Salt Lake City due to the Utah governor's signing a resolution calling for the president to cancel the Bear Ears national monument declaration. They had said a while back that they would do so if the state moved forward with the resolution, which it just did, and say that they expect other retailers to pull out too. The organizers of the event say they will consider a different location next year - I think it's always been in SLC.

[DigitalJanitor]

Just so people are aware of how ALEC works, here's an example: http://www.npr.org/2010/10/28/130833741/prison-economics-help-drive-ariz-immigration-law All partisan/immigration/prison/whatever issues aside, this is quite obviously a circle jerk of making legislation so that tax money winds up in the legislation maker's pockets. I wouldn't trust any of them any farther than I could throw them.

[Seventy2002]

Colorado groups are pushing the Outdoor Retailer trade show to move to their state. http://www.beloitdailynews.com/article/20170215/AP/302159778 http://www.denverpost.com/2017/02/14/denver-vying-to-become-home-of-nations-biggest-outdoors-trade-shows/

[fairweather friend]

Just a little update to shine some light on how Chaffetz and his ilk operate: Remember when Chaffetz said he was going to remove his "land disposal" bill from the legislative slate? If you don't recall, here's the story in the Denver Post That was back on February 2. Well, on Feb. 10, HR 621 was referred to the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands. Here's the link in Congress.gov So, no, Chaffetz did not kill the bill. It's still alive and making its way through the House. What a lying bucket of slime! And BTW, this is the FIFTH TIME Chaffetz has introduced this bill in recent years. It's not going away, so please stay vigilant and don't believe a word he says. My personal belief is that Republicans in Congress will advance this kind of extremely unpopular legislation as quietly as possible, then rush to pass it all when the country is facing some sort of acute crisis... a new war, a terrorist attack, whatever. There is simply too much opposition across the political spectrum for it to happen any other way.

[Malachai Constant]

The other trick is to tack it on to "must pass" or popular legislation to get it past the POTUS, of course the last gambit is no longer needed.

[fairweather friend]

Yep, I can see it go down that way, too. This is why everyone needs to know this bill hasn't died, and to let your House Rep know that if they vote for it, there will be hell to pay. In the meantime, just assume this bill is going to keep advancing like a zombie on TWD. I just googled the House Subcommittee on Federal Lands and here's their webpage: Subcommitte on Federal Lands From their webpage, you learn that this subcommittee is composed of 21 members: 12 Republicans and 9 Democrats. It is chaired by Tom McClintock (R) from CA-4. Please check out the member list and see if your rep is in the group. A letter or call from a constituent sends a more powerful message. Below is their mission statement:

[fairweather friend]

This is crazy! I just read an article on Huffington Post about how conservationists and hunters and fisherman killed Chaffetz bill HR 621. As I posted above, the bill is not dead and is currently making its way through the House. I wrote to the author of the article and contacted every single person that he cited in the article (mainly presidents of various groups of hunters, fisherman, conservationists, etc.) Everybody is in a rush to proclaim victory and yet the bill is still alive and kicking in the House.