Public Lands Sales Provision Stripped from Budget Reconciliation
A provision to sell off more than 500,000 acres of public land was officially removed from the House budget reconciliation. The effort was spearheaded by Reps. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.-1), Troy Downing (R-Mont.-2), Jeff Hurd (R-Colo.-3), and Mike Simpson (R-Idaho-2) to strike sell-off language from the proposed legislation. In a razor-thin 215–214 vote, the bill passed only after a last-minute manager’s amendment erased the sell-off section.
“This was my San Juan Hill; I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands. Once the land is sold, we will never get it back. God isn’t creating more land,” said Zinke. “Public access, sportsmanship, grazing, tourism… our entire Montanan way of life is connected to our public lands. I don’t yield to pressure; I only yield to a higher principle. There is a process to making sure that our lands are being used for the best benefit of the people.”
The provision sparked outrage among committee Democrats during the House Natural Resources Committee markup. The provision was offered by Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.-2), who offered a late-night amendment, ordering the sale of thousands of acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah. The committee voted 26-17 to advance the legislation, and all Republicans except Rep. Hurd voted in favor. The marathon markup saw the consideration of more than 120 amendments, almost all of which were offered by Democrats. Republicans easily defeated each of them, and the lone adopted amendment arrived close to midnight from Republican Reps. Amodei and Celeste Maloy (R-Utah-2)
MIC was actively involved and at the center of the discussions that included meetings with Rep. Malloy (who had the selloff provision for Utah) and Secretary Burgum’s office. Overall, it was a significant advocacy effort by the outdoor recreation community. ARRA thanks the members who took action by writing to their members of Congress, urging them to oppose the public land sales provision.
Forest Roads are a Critical Factor to Recreation, Wildifre and Forest Health
ARRA members appreciate how OHV and other recreation groups depend on access to Forest Service System Roads and Trails for OHV recreation and post-wildfire trail stewardship efforts. ARRA appreciates Chief Tom Shultz’s commitment to managing outdoor recreation, resource management, fuel projects and wildfire mitigation activities. The Forest Transportation System serves as the common thread that binds or connects virtually all forest-related recreation, management, research and cultural activities.
Yet to date, none of the administration’s stated policies or guidelines – including the May 20 post by Acting Associate Chief Chris French – highlight, “roads” as a key focus area or acknowledge that none of the on- the- ground Forest management objectives or goals happen unless Forest roads damaged or blown out during winter storms are repaired in a timely manner. French notes that the actions below aim to maintain essential services, address critical risks and support the agency’s priorities. Key focus areas (sans ROADS) with dedicated working groups include:
- Employee and public safety
- Disaster recovery
- Active management (timber/vegetation/fuels)
- Recreation
- Energy, minerals and geology
- NEPA planning
- Grants and agreements
- Information technology
- Communication and legislative affairs
- Fire response (incident management capacity)
- Human resources
- Law enforcement and investigations
- Budget
- Chief Finance Office (payments, billings & reimbursable agreements)
- Procurement & property services/contracts, facilities & leasing
Over the last 4-5 years, the subject of not having the funds and resources to effect post-winter repairs of FS storm-damaged roads has been almost always part of any conversation that QWR has had with agency staff or partners. The administration and Congress should prioritize maintaining the transportation system if they plan to provide meaningful access for recreational activities and increase the pace and scale of forest management treatments.