Battle for Public Lands

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Air Dates: Jan 10 & 11, 2015

The federal government holds title to 640 million of acres of land, mostly west of the Mississippi. In some states, this is more than 60% of all land within their borders. The battle as to who should own that land, whether the feds or states, has been going on since before the 1900s. Why does this matter? They represent trillions of dollars of economic activity.

This week on I Spy Radio, we talk with Rep. Ken Ivory (UT) about the continuing battle to force the federal government to honor their promise to transfer land to the states in which it belongs. We start by getting some clarification and history on exactly who legally owns the land: the feds or the states? We also discuss on-going battles in states like Utah—which threw down the gauntlet, demanding their land by Dec. 31, 2014—and Wyoming, which had 1 million acres unilaterally seized by Obama’s EPA. Find out what counties can do, why Canada is already transferring control of its land to its territories, and what strategies and tactics the new Republican-controlled Congress is likely to pursue.

Links mentioned

• The American Lands Council – be sure to sign their petition to let lawmakers know this matters to you!
• Great resource on the issue of the transfer of federal lands: American Lands Council FAQ’s.
• Utah passed HB 148 in 2012, demanding the federal government transfer ownership of the land to Utah. Here’s a link to more info on HB 148 (via Constitutional Defense Council)
• 1 million acres seized from Wyoming by Obama’s EPA 1 million acres seized from Wyoming by Obama’s EPA & an update regarding lawsuit by WY against the EPA’s actions
• Politifacts article: Napolitano: Unconstitutional for Fed to own land.

Related Links

• The battle over federally held lands is an ongoing effort – Lawmakers from 9 states gather in Utah, discuss ways to take control fed land.
• Why this matters: EPA wants to assert control over any land that gets wet.
• An interesting timeline of land-use laws in Oregon.