Posted on 03/27/2012 6:41:15 PM PDT by Kaslin
Several Western states, fed up with a federal government some claim is locking down public land against oil drilling, are demanding Washington return millions of acres to state control.
The pleas mark a new front in the battle over states' rights, and one state has already codified its demand into law.
Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert, a Republican, signed a law several days ago that asks the federal government to return 20 million acres, which could be used to develop oil and other natural resources to bolster the state economy.
Republican state Rep. Ken Ivory said Tuesday the land is worth trillions of dollars in oil and mineral resources, which would be developed in a responsible way.
"The first thing you do is protect the national park, monuments and other open space," he told FoxNews.com. Then, he said, lawmakers would create a so-called "public lands commission" managed by the state -- that would hold sway over the natural resources buried in the rock.
Ivory pointed to North Dakota, where the recent development of oil and natural gas has resulted in a booming state economy, with one of the country's lowest unemployment rates.
A law similar to Utah's passed the Arizona Senate last month, and lawmakers in Colorado, Idaho, Montana and New Mexico reportedly are preparing similar legislation for next year.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
The deeded land in NM is but a speck compared to federal, state, military and tribal reserves and holdings.
Here is, of course, the Who Owns The West? map.
http://strangemaps.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/map-owns_the_west.jpg
Good, I’ve long thought that it will be the states that save the Republic.
Ping.
Its a good start but still going to have the EPA, OSHA, and the rest of the federal alphabet holding things up.
Might be too late. Federal usurpation of power is like a ratchet and pawl mechanism that may slow a bit given political wind shifts, but never moves backwards.
“demanding Washington return millions of acres to state control”
Hah! Good luck getting the power hungry Obastard administration to release control of even a single acre.
Federal ownership of so much western land is unconstitutional.
All states enter the union on the same basis as the original 13. No preconditions can be imposed on a new state other than those imposed on the original 13.
Hence, it was not legal to require western states to permit continued federal ownership of what were territorial lands, before granting statehood.
All those federal land reserves actually rightfully belong to the states in which they are located.
US Government is broke. They can sell all that land and be less broke, and also save the expense of forcing people not too use it.
Anybody with functional observation skills would notice that the vegetation outside Zion NP is in vastly better shape than inside the park. I have photo-documented this difference.
Inside, cheat grass is everywhere. The forests are dying. Much of the brush is already dead. The soils are so crusted they won't permit native perennial grasses to establish because the water practically beads off cryptogamic crusts.
Outside the park on the same day (in July) the vegetation was green and there were ample wildflowers. Soils permitted infiltration.
The main reason for the difference is that managed disturbance promotes vegetative growth while the park is being "preserved" to death.
Anybody with functional observation skills would notice that the vegetation outside Zion NP is in vastly better shape than inside the park. I have photo-documented this difference.
Government experts always have that effect.
They are approaching it wrong.
just pass a tax on land.
Looking a the scale of that map - $10 an acre wouldn’t cost many people much. But the feds would be paying $millions.
“Its a good start but still going to have the EPA, OSHA, and the rest of the federal alphabet holding things up.”
One of the interesting things about the Federal land holdings in the western States is much of the Federal alpbet legal authority is derived from the present of Federal lands in the state.
You see Washington Claims authority to impose environmental restrictions upon the people of Montana, Utah, New mexico, ect.. on the ground that their activity otherwise effects nearby federal lands.
Force Washington to keep its 116-year-old promise to sell the land and you will specifically weaken the grip of the EPA over the State and it’s people.
The real trick that everyone conservative needs to be aware of is it really doesn’t matter to whom they sell the land. as Long as Washington does not own the land the State can legally reclaim domain over it. Getting the land out of the hands of Washington D.C. is thus of paramount priority.
Who ends up owning the title to the land whether it be private instate interest, the state government, foreign or even Chinese interest does not really matter. So by all means sell the land to the highest bidder. Make as much money off the sale as possible to help pay down the debt. The western States win as long as Washington no longer holds the title.
“They are approaching it wrong.
just pass a tax on land.
Looking a the scale of that map - $10 an acre wouldnt cost many people much. But the feds would be paying $millions.”
We tried, that Ohio even went so far as to send its agents into the Federal bank to extract the money and leave.
While Washington D.C. Claims the hypocritical power to tax our state’s it refuses the likewise possibly of being taxed itself, on the grounds that “the power to tax is the power to destroy”, and if the states have the power to destroy federal institutions and property in their state with taxes then that violates the separation of powers.
~20 years later under the tyrant Lincoln Washington proceeded to tax all the State banks out of existence. Washington D.C. is no stranger to double standards. (Ironically enough North Dakota is also the only state that still has its own bank.)
As an aside: While scouting around for feral government land grabs I noticed that Jug Ears is eyeing on no less than 13 MILLION ACRES for "monuments".
“Interesting point, I think most westerners and Montanans in particular would not sell to foreigners or the Chinese...the damn Californians are bad enough”
Like I said it really doesn’t matter, nobody is as bad as Washington D.C. as nobody except Washington D.C. will effectively claim to be above the State’s laws.
“nobody is as bad as Washington D.C.”
I really cant say I agree with that. Spend some time in China.
The problem is not Washington DC, its the politicians we have sent there,
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