Tornado Alley (PROG)

[DesertDrifter]

GOP bill would sell 70,000 acres of Oregon public land
Zach Urness , Statesman Journal Published 2:33 p.m. PT Jan. 31, 2017 |

A lawmaker from Utah has introduced legislation that would “dispose” of 3.3 million acres of public land nationwide, including 70,300 acres in Oregon.

In what some have called the opening shot by Republicans to sell or transfer federal lands, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz introduced H.R. 621 last week to free up resources “for economic development in struggling rural communities.”

Environmental groups denounced the effort, saying Chaffetz is pushing an “anti-American public lands agenda” with the broader goal of privatizing natural treasures across the West, a statement from Oregon Wild said.

The land identified for disposal — meaning sale to private entities or states — includes acreage from 10 different states. The bulk comes from Nevada (898,000 acres), New Mexico (831,000), Wyoming (694,000) and Arizona (450,000 acres).

In Oregon, the 70,300 acres comes in parcels from 19 counties managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The parcels range from 44,533 acres in Harney County to 1 acre in Marion County.

“I think this bill is basically a ‘test balloon,’ to get the effort and conversation moving,” said Jim Moore, professor and director of the Tom McCall Center for Policy Innovation at Pacific University. “The land referenced here is pretty scattershot and may or may not make sense. I’d watch for a more focused effort if we’re really talking about this happening.”


http://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/news/2017/01/31/sale-oregon-public-land-proposed-new-bill/97300742/