Even Otter was smart enough to figure out he was losing votes!
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C.L. "Butch" Otter: Support for bill allowing public land sales was a mistake
Edition Date: 01-06-2006
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I was wrong.
It wasn't the first time, and it won't be the last.
I'll take my lumps as they come — no one in public life should consider themselves above error. My political mentor, former Governor Phil Batt, lived by the principle that everyone whom the public holds in trust should be prepared to own up to their mistakes.
I always have, and I always will.
For now, that means withdrawing my co-sponsorship and support for H.R. 3855, a bill before the House Resources Committee that Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo introduced as a way of sending a message to our absentee federal landlords in the West.
I joined Congressman Tancredo as an original co-sponsor of the bill, in part, because I was frustrated that Congress had identified no revenue source to cover the cost of the billions of dollars already appropriated for Hurricane Katrina relief. At the same time, the measure provided the chance for another in a series of "shots across the bow" on the issue of federal land management that I have supported during my time in Congress.
The federal government, which controls almost two-thirds of Idaho's land mass — forest and rangeland that is exempt from the property taxes that you and I pay — has a responsibility to carry its own weight.
Counties in Idaho, particularly those in more rural areas, routinely are shortchanged by millions of dollars on Payments in Lieu of Taxes that Congress has promised as a way to help compensate local communities — critical dollars that are needed to support such services as education, roads and law enforcement.
Federal officials also are failing to maintain such facilities as the backcountry airstrips and other means of access needed for emergency response for citizens who use public lands. The government's reach simply exceeds its grasp.
Regardless, my critics are correct that this bill is not the right approach.
I have been a strong advocate for greater access to our federal lands throughout my public life. I have fought for more multiple use of our forests and rangelands, and for more control by Idahoans over decisions that influence access and use of these tremendous natural resources.
As an avid sportsman, a Grand Slam member of Ducks Unlimited and a life member of Safari Club International, I understand the importance of public land both to our wildlife and to the hunting and fishing public. I also understand that too often federal policies — from "critical habitat" and wilderness study area designations to restrictions on motorized vehicles — have kept Idaho citizens from fully experiencing the wonders of our own state's public lands.
Rest assured, I will continue fighting for better management of, and greater access to, our public lands for all Idahoans.
And finally, thank you to the people who have called and written and stopped me on the street to express their earnest thoughts on this matter. I particularly want to thank the members and leaders of a relatively new organization, Idaho Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife, for their thoughtful and responsible approach.
C.L. "Butch" Otter, a Republican, represents Idaho's 1st Congressional District.
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