Bullies Try to Derail Local Control of Public Lands
This week we wish to share with you a very well-written Op-ed written by Montana Senator Jennifer Fielder, written in response to dirty politics being played by those who oppose the Transfer of Public Lands. Please look into the details for yourself and discover the revealing truth behind the actions of these political bullies.
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Offical ALC Press Release
You've likely seen the outrageous "fraud" allegation in the Salt Lake Tribune Headline yesterday. Now you can hear both sides from the Trib Talk interview today.
Read moreTo Sell or Not to Sell...THAT is the Question
One of the greatest things about working for the American Lands Council is the amazing people we get to work with from all over the country. Hard working, honest, genuinely good people. But in this line of work, it also never ceases to amaze me how disingenuous some groups of people can be.
Read moreIn the News, April 16, 2015
Today's Headlines:
States Should Take Control of our Outmoded Public Land System; Like Strangers in Their Own Country; Criticism of Federal-to-State Land Transfer Idea is a Sign of Traction; Beware "trickery" behind Fed Land Access Talk.
Read moreIn The News, April 6, 2015
Today's Headlines:
The U.S. Department of Land-Hogging; Rep. Rob Bishop Plans Public Lands Hearings on Federal Ownership; Visiting State Rep. Speaks at GOP Dinner; Amodei Introduces Large-Scale Land Transfer Bill; Letter: Stewards of Our Forests; Public Lands Debate Marred by Camouflaged Activists; Nevadans Should Have Say on Land Management Policy; Letter: Forest Service Missteps Erode Confidence in Organization;
Read morePERC Report on Federal Lands Mismanagement
The Property and Environmental Research Center has released a report entitled "Divided Lands: State vs. Federal Management in the West."
Summary
"Nearly half of the western United States is owned by the federal government. In recent years, several western states have considered resolutions demanding that the federal government transfer much of this land to state ownership. These efforts are motivated by concerns over federal land management, including restrictions on natural resources development, poor land stewardship, limitations on access, and low financial returns.
"This study compares state and federal land management in the West. It examines the revenues and expenditures associated with federal land management and compares them with state trust land management in four western states: Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, and Arizona. The report explains why revenues and expenditures differ between state and federal land agencies and discusses several possible implications of transferring federal lands to the states."
Read moreIn The News, March 11, 2015
Today's Headlines:
PERC Issues Timely Report on Federal Lands Mismanagement; Senators McCain and Flake Urge President Obama Not to Designate More National Monuments in AZ; Interior, Agriculture Departments Unveil Initiative to Make More Data About Public Lands Available.
Read moreIn The News, March 9, 2015
Today's Headlines:
Burkett: Land Transfer Makes Sense; Map: Forest-Heavy Idaho Counties Take $26 Million Hit Without SRS; Committee Hears Bill on State Control of Federal Land; Commentary: Studies Contradict Opponents of Land Transfer; Who Will Control Utah's Public Lands?; Whose Forest is it? Bills Seek to Promote State Sovereignty Over Land; Commissioners Urge Land Management Study; Bill to Study Federal Land Management Passes Wyoming House.
Read more3 Minute Message - 03/04/2015
This week, a rally was held in the Utah State Rotunda, attended mostly by members of so-called environmental groups who make their living by suing the federal government over mismanagement of public lands.
The County Seat TV took their crew to the capitol and interviews many attendees, asking the simple question, "what is your definition of, or understanding of the Transfer of Public Lands?" Listening to the answers of attendees reveals the rhetoric of fear that has been promoted by opponents to the Transfer of Public Lands, rather than giving people the facts so that they can make informed decisions.
Read moreIn the News, March 4, 2014
Today's Headlines:
How the Forest Service is Shortchanging Local Schools, Townships; Legislators to Host Local Meeting; Senator Slams Management of US Forest Service System; Satellites Give Scientists Unprecedented Views of Insects Outbreaks in Forests; Proposed State Control of Federal Public Lands Divides Nevada Interests; House OKs Bill to Expand Forest Fire Damage Assessments; Your lands, Your Treasure: Get Involved; Lands Transfer Study Advances in Wyoming House; The Top States at Risk for Wildfire Damage: Report.
Read moreMineral County, MT Passes Resolution of Support
We are excited to announce that Mineral County, Montana has passed a resolution in support of the transfer of public lands! This resolution officially sets out the negative impacts to access, health, and productivity from one size fails all federal policies and management.
Read more3 Minute Message - 02/25/2015
Earlier this month, the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) released a Working Paper of Public Lands Report. This independent study compares state and federal land management in the West. It examines the revenues and expenditures associated with federal land management and "compares them with state trust land management in four western states: Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, and Arizona. The report explains why revenues and expenditures differ between state and federal land agencies and discusses several possible implications of transferring federal lands to the states."
Read moreIn The News, February 23, 2015
Today's Headlines:
Montana Can Manage Land Better than Feds; Daines Confident U.S. Can Pass Forest Management Reform; Oregon Might Lose Wildfire Insurance; Rural Western Montana Counties Struggling Mightily with budgets after Loss of Federal Funds.
Read moreIn the News, February 19, 2015
Today's Headlines:
Commentary: Hardy Expects to See Action on Federal Land Issues; Local Management of Idaho Lands: Is There a Better Path Forward?; Bill in Alaska Legislature Seeks Transfer of Federal Lands to State Control; Hill Assails Obama's latest Executive Land Grab; Montanans Need to Control Public Lands in Montana; The Federal Lands Freedom Act: Empowering States to Control Their Own Energy Futures; Back Better Management of Public Land.
Read more3 Minute Message - 02/18/2015
Throughout the United States, several states are working simultaneously on bills to help improve the health, access, and productivity of our public lands. These bills are helping to look towards the transfer of those public lands to the states wherein they lie, as a means to help preserve them for generations to come, while still providing for the access we all cherish and the productivity we rely on.
Read moreIn The News, February 17, 2015
Today's Headlines:
Missouri: Transfer of Public Lands Champion; Op-ed: Despite Rhetoric, Utah is Quite Capable of Managing Federal Lands; Public Safety Concerns Prompt Emergency Wild Horse Roundup; Rural Lawmakers Back Federal Land Transfer Report; Debate Over Idaho Public Lands Management Sees Shift; Policy Not Politics Should Fuel Public Land Debate; Bills Call for Task Force to Study Federal Land Transfer; Public Lands Issue Debated in Montana Legislature.
Read moreDivided Lands: State vs. Federal Management in the West
By Holly Fretwell and Shawn Regan
There is a great divide in the United States. Land in the East is mostly privately owned, while nearly half of the land in the West is owned by the federal government. In recent years, several western states have passed, introduced, or considered resolutions demanding that the federal government transfer much of this land to state ownership. These efforts are motivated by local concerns over federal land management, including restrictions on natural resource development, poor land stewardship, limitations on access, and low financial returns.
Read moreIn the News, February 10, 2015
Today's Headlines:
Stop Public Land Sales, Start Studying Transfer; Letter: What are Public Lands?; Battle Brewing Over Changes to Public Land Rules; Thompson Falls Lawmaker Presents Bill Transferring Federal Land Management to State; Editorial Board: Discussion Needed on State Land Use; Bedke Says Law to Extend Federal Lands Committee Coming.
Read moreObstruction or Obligation? The Case for and Against Environmental Litigation
By Tom Kuglin, Independent Record
Federal land management has become one of the hottest political issues this election season, and front and center in the debate are lawsuits filed by environmental groups challenging timber sales as well as listing decisions under the Endangered Species Act.
Yet it is another law, the Equal Access to Justice Act, which opponents of the lawsuits say is unfairly rewarding lawyers of environmental groups by often awarding attorney fees paid for with tax dollars. Environmental groups say the law holds the federal government accountable, and what attorney fees play a critical role in their efforts to protect wildlife and habitat.
Read more3 Minute Message - 02/4/2015
All around the nation, legislative sessions are in the works or coming around the corner and Transfer of Public Lands legislation is an important topic on the minds of lawmakers and constituents alike.
there is active legislation in AZ, CO, MT, NM, NV, UT, WA, WY, NH, and TX. As those bills move forward, we will give you more information on them. Today, I want to share with you an article by Senator Jennifer Fielder, concerning the TPL legislation that is currently in the works in her beautiful state of Montana.
Read moreIn the News, February 3, 2015
Today's Headlines:
Obstruction or Obligation? The Case for and Against Environmental Litigation; Federal Land Bill Calls for Expansion of Red Rock Canyon; National Forest Looks to Cut Public, Private Boundaries for Project.
Read moreIn The News, February 2, 2015
Today's Headlines:
Exploring Public Land Transfers; Idaho Panel Calls for Collaboration on Federal Land Takeover; Public Lands Transfer Legislation Advances in Wyoming Legislature; Land Commissioner says his Office Could Manage Federal Lands; Committee Weighs Benefits on Transferring Federal Land to State; Viewpoint: Halting Public Land Sales, Studying Land Transfer Next Step for Montana; Time to Fulfill State's Land-Grant Promise; US Rep. Zinke: It's Time to Take a Stand on Public Lands.
Read moreIn The News, January 30, 2015
Today's Headlines:
Federal Lands Fight Continues as Session Starts; Bills in Play to Improve Access to Public Lands; Bushman: Environmentalists and Public Lands.
Read moreIn The News, January 28, 2015
Today's Headlines:
The South Carolina Resolution for the Transfer of Federal Lands; New Mexico Lawmaker: State, Not Feds, Should Manage its Land; Studying Public Land Transfer Next Step for Montana; Editorial: Nevada Representatives Propose Anti-Babbitt Bill; Federal Land Ownership Not Supported by Constitution; This Federal Government Land Grab Would Permanently Lock Up Millions of Alaska Acres with Energy Potential.
Read moreIn The News, January 26, 2015
Today's Headlines:
Bills Target Federal Land Ownership in State; States Challenge Federal Control of Western Lands; Rural Counties Dealing with Loss of Federal Dollars; Congress Not Looking Out for Rural Communities; Republicans Warn Obama Against More National Monuments in Nevada.
Read moreFirst-Hand Stories from Montana
Public comments from the Montana Legislature's Environmental Quality Council meeting, January 8, 2014.
Montana county Survey Results
Senator Jennifer Fielder presents the findings of a county survey on public lands in accordance to Montana's SJ 15, Interim Study on Public Lands Management.
In The News, November 5, 2014
Today's Headlines: Openshaw: Mr. Bureaucrat, may I please have a drink of water?; Healthy Public Lands Mean Healthy Economies | Commentary; Reader View: Feds are the real land-grabbers; BLM plans controlled burns this month; Dianne Feinstein may ask Obama to bypass Congress to protect Mojave sites; Possible fee increases at local National Parks
Read moreIn the News, November 3, 2014
Today's Headlines: Time for an Endangered Species Act makeover; The only one ‘seizing’ federal lands is Uncle Sam; Utah Governor Pushing For Regulatory Primacy on Federal Lands; Washington County condemns BLM for Recapture Canyon closure, Blanding; calls for reopening; ‘Grass March’ Turned Out to Be Final Ride for Original Sagebrush Rebel.
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In the News October 30, 2014
Today's Headlines: Washington v. the People: The Solution to Today's Land War; Land of the Free, or Land of the Federal?; No, The Transfer of Public Lands Does not Mean "Privatization"; Bureaucratic blunder of San Gabriel Mountains National Monument: Guest commentary; Opportunity Lost? I don't think so...;
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In the News, October 29th 2014
Today's Headlines: Sen. Reid quietly moves to block development of 800,000 acres in central Nevada; Ranchers talk transferring fed's land to states; State Sovereignty at Its Most Basic: Control of Land; Feeling pushed by lands ‘poll’? Sutherland Soapbox, 10/21/14
Read moreThe Sad Truth; Comm. Dan Happel's Letter to the Editor
The sad truth is that more is being spent defending against frivolous lawsuits than forest and land management, wasting our tax dollars and making sensible Federal land management almost impossible.
Read moreIn the News October 24, 2014
Today's Headlines: Cattlemen express concerns about wilderness area use designations; Western Legal Group Faults Endangered Species Act Regulations; Beauprez Pins State’s Success To Local Control, Hands-Off Government; County to present its case for transfer of federal land; Guest opinion: States would do better job of managing federal lands; Wyoming outdoors: Access program opens private land to hunters; November kicks off burn season; Commentary: Grazing opponents' statements misrepresent facts
Read moreIn the News Sept. 22-Oct 19, 2014
Today's Headlines: EPA water proposal is stirring up Senate race; House Candidates Zinke & Lewis Battle Over Public Lands; Klamath County Proclamation on the Transfer of Public Lands Act; Interior secretary urges Congress to act; Forest Fires Versus Radiation: A Lesson on How to Fail; Why is the U.S. importing coal?; PLC to explore states' involvement in public land management; Forest Service can’t hide its road closure plans
Read moreIn the News October 16-21 2014
Today's Headlines: Commissioner pleads not guilty to charges stemming from ATV protest ride; Richard Leib: Just Leave Us Alone; Simpson Makes Another Run at Central Idaho Wilderness; Grazing Wars: Grass March Cowboys Ride to Capitol Hill; SAN GABRIELS: Locals have mountains of questions on new monument; Lawmakers vent to feds, assert forest fire inaction; The West’s Fight for Self-Government; BLM Employees Charged Taxpayers $799,000 for 'Gift Cards'; Commissioner Leads Charge For County to Jump in Water Lawsuit; Harvey attends American Lands Council conference
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Public land “sell off” myth put to rest
By Senator Jennifer Fielder – Montana State Senate District 7
In response to confusion caused by certain environmentalists that claim our public lands would be “sold to the highest bidder” if federal lands are transferred to the states, leaders of the Transfer of Public Lands (TPL) effort from all western states recently gathered in Salt Lake City, Utah to set the record straight.
Read moreOct 2014 Press Conference
This 34 minute Press Conference answers many of the questions people have about the Transfer of Public Lands. Share this with your friends, family colleagues and elected officials and help dispel the myths.
Update from Sen. Fielder: No Losers in Public Land Transfer
“There are no losers to what we are going to propose,” said Kane County Commissioner Doug Heaton, a founding member of American Lands Council (ALC).
“Let me be really clear about this,” he said as he explained why he has taken a leadership role in compelling congress to transfer federal lands to the states. “We are not AGAINST anybody. We are FOR managing the resources so we don’t actually burn our forests to the ground, destroy our watersheds, or kill millions of animals in the process. We are FOR not putting more pollution into the environment — than all our industrial processes combined — because of mismanagement and the wildfires that are occurring.
Read moreMT Senator Jennifer Fielder’s Op-Ed on the Transfer of Public Lands
Montana Senator Jennifer Fielder is fantastic at what she does. She is extremely passionate about lands issues and is a true environmentalist. She recently attended the Western States Legislative Summit which was held on April 17-18, 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah. The purpose of the Summit was to begin collaborations between western states to compel Congress to transfer title of public lands to the states. After the summit she released a press release on the summit and the importance of the transfer of public lands. You can view the original Op-Ed that was published in the Clark Fork Valley Press here or read it below.
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