Dept of Interior Looking To Sell Public Lands

[Nameless Range]

Trump Admin Will Offload Federal Public Lands, Interior Says

The Interior Department’s new strategic plan calls for selling and swapping away the federal estate.

www.publicdomain.media

 

[SAJ-99]

No one should be surprised.

 

[Matthew57]

 

[Big Fin]

For anyone doubting, here it is, in black and white. With the supposed compromise being ...."A portion of the proceeds will go back......."

 

[Jnasa]

I'm not surprised at this point. Thanks for sharing. I guess I get to write my Senators again.

 

[rideold]

Time to fire up the letter writing! Seems like we need to be writing regularly for the next two years!

 

[IDiot]

MFers, can they please stop trying to do the most unpopular and destructive effing things they can think of?!

 

[SAJ-99]

We’ll see if the “wait to see how this plays out” crowd has an opinion. The good news is that state and local governments don’t have any money to purchase these lands at fair market value.

 

[Big Sky Guy]

We’ll see if the “wait to see how this plays out” crowd has an opinion. The good news is that state and local governments don’t have any money to purchase these lands at fair market value.

Who said anything about fair market value? It just says opportunity.

Rules for you and me, not for thee.

 

[IDiot]

I don't think fair market value has anything to do with it. They will be practically given away.

 

[SAJ-99]

Who said anything about fair market value? It just says opportunity.

Rules for you and me, not for thee.

Good point. I forgot about level of stupidity in this Admin. There are laws on the books that land has to be sold at FMV. Congress should just make a statement that every transaction will be investigated with a high probability of reversal.

The pattern is clear- do as much damage as fast as possible.

 

[Big Fin]

Beyond land sales, there will be an acceleration of industry "partnerships." If the recent track record of "partnerships" is an indicator, a lot of private enterprises will get sweetheart deals on public land and quasi-ownership of public resources on those lands, with the US taxpayer getting almost nothing, or in the case of hard rick minerals, the US taxpayer gets absolutely nothing. That's hardly a partnership. That's corporate/industry welfare.

I've not seen a more "socialist" effort in the last ten years than how industry, often foreign-owned, gets public resources for almost nothing. How they get to avoid many of the costs of doing business. How they get to lower their bonding risk. How they get to socialize many of the long-term liabilities. That's socialism in action, not the theoretical possibilities I've been warned about.

The apologists will be out in force, trying to rationalize this strategic plan. Just look at the dark room deals that have been made for data centers. We're supposed to believe that DOI will use competition and markets to decide who, what, where, and at what return to the US taxpayer.

 

[R.K.]

Now let’s see if this dies with this the R-controlled lame duck session, or if it continues with the new Congress and all the bought-out positions.

Still gonna raise hell about this either way. Just trying to prepare myself for how long this bonfire needs to burn, and who we’re all gonna have to hold to it.

But sure was interesting how it all got quiet before the election, and now they’re trying to roll it out again. It’s like they knew they shouldn’t be doing this.

 

[Nameless Range]

With Democrats now in power legislatively, Heinrich is a good bet for the chair of the Senate environmental and natural resources committee. Just saw this quote from him, reported by Deseret journalist Cami Mondeaux:

"Two summers ago, I led the successful fight to stop an unprecedented proposal to sell off millions of acres of public lands, and I will do it again. These lands belong to the American people, not private interests looking to cash in. Public lands belong in public hands.”

Here’s to hoping. The evidence is piling up that they are who we thought they were.

 

[DFS]

Can they do this without approval from Congress?

 

[bennirio]

I will be contacting my Senators and rep. Unfortunately I'm a Utah resident so at least one Senator is in the bag for this. I will voice my displeasure once again. I was hoping that they would have learned their lesson with the previous land swap deal and with the election beat down, that they need to focus on important things like the economy and housing, not trying to rob the American people. I feel we need a grass roots movement at a local level to keep and protect what we hold dear.