More Overreach by the Feds.......
O saw this last week and didn't mention it at the time.
Proposal to seize land would favor animals over Americans
"A secret administration memo has surfaced revealing plans for the federal government to seize more than 10 million acres from Montana to New Mexico, halting job- creating activities like ranching, forestry, mining and energy development. Worse, this land grab would dry up tax revenue that's essential for funding schools, firehouses and community centers.
President Obama could enact the plans in this memo with just the stroke of a pen, without any input from the communities affected by it."
Senator Jim DeMint tried to block it but was defeated on a party line vote.
Do you have any idea just how much land is controlled by the Feds now?
I must have missed this when it first came out. Here's a story from last month about it.
EXCLUSIVE: Obama Eyes Western Land for National Monuments, Angering Some
Looking at the chart above I can see why some folks may be upset about this.
"Presidential use of the Antiquities Act is highly controversial because the White House, with the stroke of a pen, can lock up thousands of square miles of federal lands used for timber, ranching, mining and energy development without local input or congressional approval. The Act is generally interpreted to commemorate or protect a specific historical landmark, not prohibit development or deprive local communities of jobs and tax revenues.
"Any federal action that could lead to limited access should be done in an open and public manner using extraordinary caution," said Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., upon seeing the leaked report. "The fact that this administration is already circulating internal memos to bypass Congress and the public process is troubling."
It appears that Utah is preparing to tell the Feds, "UP YOURS"
"SALT LAKE CITY — A pair of Utah County Republican lawmakers want to shepherd a trio of bills using eminent domain to wrest control of public lands they say are tied up by an out-of-balance, out-of-control federal bureaucracy.
The sponsors, with unanimous support voiced Wednesday by a legislative appropriations committee, not only want to tap some School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration land for development, but also yank back some of the parcels of oil-rich land withdrawn by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar a year ago this month.
Rep. Ken Sumsion, R-American Fork, and Rep. Chris Herrod, R-Provo, said the groundswell of the states' rights movement means the time is ripe for the battle, which they envision playing out before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Citing a quote by Alexander Hamilton, Herrod said it is time to sound the alarm on behalf of the people and be the mouthpiece of discontent."
Good for them. I'd like to see more of this response by the States.
Gratuitous Picture for a Tuesday Evening-
