The Problem With Mike Lee’s Public Lands Proposal Is That It Doesn’t Sell Off Enough Land
Sen. Mike Lee’s (R–Utah) proposal to require the sale of a de minimis amount of Western public lands was dealt a potentially fatal blow yesterday when the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the provision could not be included in the reconciliation bill moving through Congress.
The ruling follows a relentless opposition campaign to Lee’s proposal from Democrats, conservation groups, and even some conservatives who’ve painted doomsday scenarios about Americans’ “birthright” being sold off for luxury condo developments.
Lee said yesterday that he’s in talks with the parliamentarian to include a scaled-back version of his initial proposal in the budget bill.
Whether that will be enough to win over the parliamentarian remains to be seen. It will almost certainly not be enough to mollify opponents, who’ve leveled a relentless stream of often inaccurate, contradictory criticisms of the idea that any federal lands might ever be privatized.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D–N.M.) told the Associated Press that Lee’s bill would produce not enough development and too much development at the same time.
“I don’t think it’s clear that we would even get substantial housing as a result of this. What I know would happen is people would lose access to places they know and care about and that drive our Western economies,” he said.
The American Conservation Coalition has taken to posting pictures of national parks (which could not be sold off under Lee’s bill) to criticize the sale of far less beautiful Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands.
Protecting this is more important than increasing GDP. pic.twitter.com/nWhrBxqc3k
— American
Article from Reason.com
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