Posted on 03/21/2019 12:58:11 PM PDT by jazusamo
Acting Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt ordered Thursday that federal land managers consider public access when selling or trading public land.
“This order will help ensure that the Bureau of Land Management considers public access to public lands,” Bernhardt said in a statement.
“It requires that before the BLM exchanges or disposes of any land, they must first consider what impact the disposal or exchange of land will have on public access. The Trump Administration will continue to prioritize access so that people can hunt, fish, camp, and recreate on our public lands," he said.
This order will address concerns that some federal and state land is inaccessible without crossing privately owned territory, according to the Associated Press.
The move was praised by some conservationists.
“In some places, there are small parcels of BLM land that serve as the only means of nearby access to hunting and fishing or as the only access points to adjoining public lands managed by other agencies," Whit Fosburgh, head of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, said Thursday.
"The Secretarial Order will ensure that key parcels are valued for this recreational access and help keep these lands in the public’s hands.”
Bernhardt's order comes a week before he is set to have his confirmation in front of the Senate to assume the permanent position.
He has been leading the agency since December when former Secretary Ryan Zinke resigned.
Bernhardt worked as an oil lobbyist before entering the government and has had to recuse himself from matters involving so many former clients that he carriers a card listing them, according to The Washington Post.
Good news ping, hopefully Bernhardt will be confirmed.
Access to public hunting land is SUCH a problem in so many places; glad to see it being addressed.
MAGA! :)
Bureau of Land Management (BLM); is Obama’s, Hillary’s and Harry Reid’s bull dog, Danial Love still work for that agency? If he does, that’s not a good sign of needed change to the BLM. Hopefully this guy, if he gets confirmed, will clean the BLM house of scum criminals like Love.
Amen, and it’s been going on for many years.
Seems that turkey Love separated from the BLM in 2017, the article doesn’t give a reason.
From years of hunting in Eastern OR we found the BLM generally to be PIAs.
I also imagine that he’ll get confirmed, even if it comes down to party line voting.
Good news and thanks for the ping, Jaz!
Most welcome my FRiend, I think you’re right and he will be confirmed.
Not tired of winning yet!
RS-2477 is the federal law established in 1866 that authorized the construction of roads across federal public lands. The purpose of RS-2477 was to help settlers in the West establish trade routes and build local roads and highways, as well as cut trails to access homesteads, mines, timber, and other essential resources.
Section 701 of FLPMA states, “Nothing in this Act or any amendment made by this Act, shall be construed as terminating any valid right-of-way or other land use right or authorization existing on the date of approval of this Act.,” making it clear that all rights-of-way created prior to 1976 remain protected and accessible to the public.
Over the years, federal agencies, as well as private land holders, have illegally closed RS-2477 roads, stirring up controversies and conflicts in counties across the West. Although both governmental and nongovernmental organizations have fought the feds using RS-2477, litigating against the federal government over road closures on public lands can be an onerous and costly process.
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2016/03/rs_2477_and_western_lands.html
UN Agenda 21 ( Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)
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