Malheur County Federal Land Legislation Take 4, Part 1: The Good, the Whatever, and the Bad

July 24, 2023 in 30x30, Bureau of Land Management, Congress, Counties & Federal Lands, Deserts, Federal Lands, Legislation, Livestock Grazing, Other Federal Agencies, Wilderness

With a few critical tweaks, Senator Wyden’s legislation could be a net gain for the conservation of nature for the benefit of this and future generations. Without those tweaks, the bill as drafted is an existential threat to the conservation of federal public lands and should not be enacted into law.

The Other Half of the National Environmental Policy Act Is Under Threat

October 12, 2018 in Administration, Congress, Other Federal Agencies, Presidents

Only the half of NEPA that is procedural is enforceable in court against federal agencies that violate it. And now that half is under attack from the president and from Congress.

A Solution to Corridor Collisions: A National Wildlife Corridors System

December 08, 2017 in Congress, Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Other Federal Agencies, Wildlife

Just as it is in the public interest to have systems of corridors for the movement of vehicles, oil, gas, electrons, and water, it is in the public interest to have a system of corridors for wildlife.

The Coastal Barrier Resources System

June 16, 2017 in Fish and Wildlife Service, Other Federal Agencies

The Coastal Barrier Resources Act of 1982 (CBRA) was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan, not known for being a flaming conservationist. Reagan may not have loved nature as much as he hated government bailouts—especially repeated government bailouts—but in the case of undeveloped areas along our coasts, the conservation of both nature and the federal treasury aligned. CBRA abets the conservation of undeveloped coastal barriers by restricting federal expenditures that encourage development, such as flood insurance.

Privatizing Federal Public Lands in Western Oregon

February 10, 2017 in Bureau of Land Management, National Forest System, National Recreation Area, Other Federal Agencies, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Wilderness

In its recently revised resource management plans for western Oregon, the Bureau of Land Management has identified 290 parcels of federal public lands, ranging in size from 0.01 to 440.2 acres and totaling 18,458.95 acres, as suitable for disposal. Although disposing of 0.7 percent of the approximately 2,600,000 acres of western Oregon BLM public lands may not seem like a big deal, many of these parcels have high public values.

Public Lands in the United States

August 05, 2016 in National Monuments, Fish and Wildlife Service, Other Federal Agencies, Forest Service, National Park Service, Department of Agriculture, Department of Interior, National Forest System, National Park System, Bureau of Land Management

The United States of America encompasses a very large amount of land, both what is generally considered dry land and even more covered by salt water. Approximately 40% of the dry land (31% federal and 9% states) and essentially 100% of the undersea lands are owned mostly by the government of the United States with the rest being owned by coastal states. Of all the US lands—submerged and not—the federal or state government owns 73% of them.