Free Republic

The House Committee on Natural Resources held a legislative hearing on June 15 on HR 3397, sponsored by Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah, to require the director of the Bureau of Land Management to withdraw the proposed conservation rule. In her prepared testimony, South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem told the committee that nearly 98% of BLM surface lands in South Dakota are grazed by permittees; her state hosts 76 actively producing oil and gas leases that cover 36,762 acres; and the acres managed by the BLM provide recreation opportunities. Noem said the proposed rule overemphasizes conservation rather than the economic needs...

A manhunt got underway in Georgia on Saturday after a police officer working his first day with a local force was shot dead outside a police station. Police Officer Dylan Harrison, 26, was killed early Saturday morning in Alamo, about 124 miles west of Savannah, FOX affiliate WGXA-TV in Macon reported. It was Harrison’s first shift working part-time with the Alamo Police Department. He was already a full-time Oconee Drug Taskforce Agent since 2018. Authorities identified the suspect as Damien "Luke" Anthony Ferguson, 43, and said he should be considered armed and dangerous. A reward of $17,000 was being offered...