WYOMING: Bill would fund study of federal lands transfer
Published: Greenwire: Tuesday, January 13, 2015
New legislation in Wyoming would provide $100,000 to study the transfer of federal lands to the state.
The proposed bill says that if the transfer were approved, the state would continue to allow access to the lands for hunting, fishing and recreation, and that the lands would be "subject to closure for special circumstances including public safety and environmental sensitivity."
Supporters of the lands transfer said the states would be better able to manage the lands than the federal government. On the opposite end, environmentalists fear that the move would privatize lands and reduce the public's access.
The legislation would exempt lands managed by the National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and Fish and Wildlife Service. Lands under the authority of the Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, excluding wilderness areas, would be studied for transfer.
"This isn't a fire sale of public lands into private hands," said Rep. Tim Stubson (R), who drafted the bill. "That's been proposed numerous times throughout history, and there's always heartburn about that, and understandably so."
Along with Wyoming, Western states considering similar proposals include Utah, Montana, Nevada and Idaho (Ben Neary, Casper [Wyo.] Star-Tribune, Jan. 12). -- MH
