Posted on 02/08/2009 6:54:41 PM PST by george76
A state lawmaker said Friday he wants to reclaim Utah's lands and resources from the federal government so the public can use them for recreation and energy development.
Rep. Michael Noel, R-Kanab, said he's declaring another Sagebrush Rebellion. The original Sagebrush Rebellion took place in the 1970s and 1980s, when a coalition of mining and grazing interests pressured federal policy makers to cede greater control of federal lands to state and local authorities.
Noel said that Utah can "take care of itself," and that the federal government shouldn't be allowed to regulate what the state can do with its own resources.
"States created the federal government," he said. "The federal government did not create the states."
Hundreds of recreation activists, including Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone, rallied in the Capitol on Friday, saying they want multiple-use access for federal lands.
"No way they're going to kick us off of what we own," Malone said.
Brad Johnson of Murray grew up in Utah riding all-terrain vehicles on the state's trails. But he said many of those trails have been closed.
"It's like we're just always defending ourselves from a constant attack,"
(Excerpt) Read more at abc4.com ...
They new guys in DC suspended the leases.
The real question here is why. This is to reduce our oil production to put us at the mercy of those who funded his campaign. (foreign)
Bill Clinton did the same thing with Coal reserves. For the same reason, he was paid-off.
These lefties intend to make us all Dhemi’s, and subjects of a world government. I will draw my last breath opposing this.
Is Karl Malone a Republican?
Ping.
Yes, they did it by using the fed’s own laws.
They enacted their own local enviornmental laws and forced the Forest Service to abide by them. The courts upheld the local enviro laws.
How is that for a bunch of thinking ranchers.
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and environmental activist Tim DeChristopher are part of the problem.
It will get much worse, soon.
The whole cabinet is like that.
I give it 6 months before he totally flames out.
Or if he tries the open gun grab, it will flame-up.
And no fireman will be able to put it out.
Yes, we like it here. Y’all can admire us from a distance, OK? We have plenty of move-ins as it is. :o)
Its the same in California.
The feds are trying to close all roads and trails in the Sierra forests. We saw a USFS employee ram her pickup truck into the portable toilet at a trail staging area, just to have an excuse to shut it down.
Bump for Utah!
I believe so:
http://www.newsmeat.com/sports_political_donations/Karl_Malone.php
All hail the Mailman!
10th Amendment
I hope that are are correct.
LOL! Hopefully you can tear up that road from CA? ;-)
Stay on this in UT. You guys and gals need to fight for this. This is a big deal. I hope the LDS members get behind this to reassert your state’s rights. You will be doing a great service to other states and America like Mormons did in CA on Prop 8 then got villified. I hope Mitt jumps in to help.
All lands in the east that are National Parks etc. were purchased or donated in ownership to the federal government.
West of the Mississippi, the lands not settled were at first public domain. When they had been surveyed and made available for homestead under acts of prescription leading to a land patent, they became “public lands.” (Supreme Court definition.)
Around the early 1900s, the federal government “reserved” lands with forests from settlement. These Forest Reserves became the National Forests. Lands not disposed of that were used for grazing to which some split estate interest had accrued were organized under the Taylor Grazing Act in 1934 so that there could be some management oversight from overgrazing by wandering sheep herds. These lands were to be kept in trust for the people of the states in which they lay.
Under FLPMA in the 1970s, the federal government just decreed that it would retain all the lands not settled in federal ownership - in effect violating that trust.
Under the equal footing doctrine, all states are to be equal. In the West, lands in many states are still in federal ownership. This is not equal footing. The Civil War is over and the east coast should be divested of its hegemony over the west. The Western states are all grown up now and should be given back their inheritance.
Where was that, California? western Slope, eastern?
All land should belong to either the state or the private individual. The only exception being military installations. The Fed should have no state land under its control.
Do it Utah.
Western side, Tuolumne county, Deer Creek Trail head to be specific.
The best news I have heard in a while. We all need to take our states back from the enviro bought and paid for congress.
I was in the 1990’s Sagebrush Rebellion in Lincoln County, NM. We wrote a county ordinance to take over the administration of federal lands within the county. Otero and Chavez Counties passed similar ordinances. The commissioners approved it and formed a committee to deal with federal land issues. It certainly got the attention of the federal land managers and they began working with the local govt.,permittees, and other users much more closely and rationally. We never did take over the administration of the federal lands but the working relations with the feds improved a lot and they began to take into account the custom, culture, and economy of the county in their planning processes.
I earned an audit from the IRS and my personal phone tapped as did a few other vocal activists.
It was fun and I believe we will have ample opportunity in the near future to assert our unalienable rights in a similar manner.
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