“Some public land is indistinguishable from the type of land currently owned and used by private citizens. In some cases, there seems to be no plausible reason for the federal government to be holding the land at all.”
All this land is, is the Western States Dowery to get statehood. When you look at the Eastern States, Federal ownership of land within those states is in the single-digit percentages, while out West, Nevada is more than 85% Fed and California is 45%. There is really no reason for this except as a way for the FG to enforce it’s will on these state’s people. the Bundy conflagration in Bunkerville, NV and the Mellior “Preserve” Crap in Oregon are simply examples of Federal Land terrorism resulting of the murders of innocent citizens.
Well, that and the fact that those Western states didn't want the land when they became states.