Legislatures of several Western states are demanding that the federal government give their states title to tens of millions of acres of public forests and ranges. The movement's goal is to open access to natural resources, which supporters claim will increase jobs and revenue for resource extraction companies. The states say they will send property-tax bills to Washington if the land isn't surrendered by the end of 2014.
"In the last 30 years, the radical environmental policies of these federal agencies have ground those industries to a halt -- right into the ground -- and almost killed them," state Sen. Al Melvin told the Arizona Republic. Legal experts say the movement has misread the scope of states' rights in the Constitution and that it will likely fail to survive court challenges. Opponents of the movement say it could threaten iconic landscapes, and that states aren't prepared to handle management of millions of acres, report Shaun McKinnon and Yvonne Wingett of the Republic.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has signed a package of bills to reclaim public land, and the state's U.S. congressmen and women have pledged support for it. In Arizona, a similar bill has passed the Senate and awaits approval in the House. A proposed ballot measure there would "declare the state's sovereignty over its land, air and water." The federal government owns 85 percent of Nevada's total area, according to 2004 data. It owns 57 percent of Utah and 48 percent of Arizona. (Read more)
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