When Congress enacted the Taylor Grazing Act they created the Grazing Division to manage the act and the lands. And that was renamed the US Grazing Service, which would be merged with General Land Office to create the BLM in 1946.
Then Congress enacted FLPMA(1976) which radically changed and enlarged the BLM mission, so all the General Land Office duties were removed from BLM. All homesteading ended in 1976 and the mission became multi-use. There were other things to be done with the lands besides grazing.
I'll tell you a little secret. The states don't want these lands. The grazers won't buy them because they would then have to pay property taxes. If the states take these lands, then they will be the ones getting sued by Earth Justice and the Sierra Club. The developers would love to get the lands so they could turn them into Mini-Ranchettes and Mobile Home Estates.
And it wasn't just FLPMA in the 70s. OSHA, MHSA, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water and Air Acts and other enviro regs, creating EPA, Healthy Forests and how clearcutting would proceed in the Natl Forests, the Magnussen Act and the feds taking control of the ocean fisheries.
>>> The states don’t want these lands.<<<
More than 50 political leaders from nine states convened for the first time to talk about their joint goal: wresting control of oil-, timber -and mineral-rich lands away from the feds...”
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/57836973-90/utah-lands-lawmakers-federal.html.csp
Apparently this group wants the lands in their states back.
The Feds are doing a fine job of managing the land at gunpoint. It seems this Nevada rancher has a good case of adverse possession going for him.
“I’ll tell you a little secret. The states don’t want these lands.
If the states take these lands, then they will be the ones getting sued by Earth Justice and the Sierra Club.”
I’m not buying either comment, but part of the problem appears to be an out of control judiciary. Something isn’t right when an organization can shop judges to get what they want for a verdict, meaning one man in a black robe against the people.
You and I both know that was not the Republic the Founders designed, and radical environmentalists comprising a small fraction of the moral busybodies in the United States have been granted far more license than they ever should have had.
I believe much of the highly destructive forest fires we have been force to endure and the Mountain Pine Beetle destruction can be laid right at the doorstep of those ignorant folks who place the life of anything on the planet on a higher scale than man, who was given dominion over all.
I call all of this misguided meddling people wanting to play God rather than understanding what goodness he has provided for our blessing and benefit.
YOU ARE SO WRONG.