By Sen. Jim DeMint

You'd think the Obama administration is busy enough controlling the banks, insurance companies and automakers, but thanks to whistle blowers at the Department of the Interior, we now learn they're planning to increase their control over energy-rich land in the West.

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.

At a time when our national unemployment rate is 9.7 percent, it is unbelievable anyone would be looking to stop job-creating energy enterprises, yet that's exactly what's happening.

The document lists 14 properties that, according to the document, "might be good candidates" for Mr. Obama to nab through presidential proclamation. Apparently, Washington bureaucrats believe it's more important to preserve grass and rocks for birdwatchers and backpackers than to keep these local economies thriving.

Administration officials claim the document is merely the product of a brainstorming session, but anyone who reads this memo can see that it is a wish list for the environmentalist left. It discusses, in detail, what kinds of animal populations would benefit from limiting human activity in those areas.

The 21-page document, marked "Internal Draft-NOT FOR RELEASE," names 14 different lands Mr. Obama could completely close for development by unilaterally designating them as "monuments" under the 1906 Antiquities Act.

It says all kinds of animals would be better off by doing so, like the coyotes, badgers, grouse, chickens and lizards. But giving the chickens more room to roost is no reason for the government to override states' rights.

Rep. Robert Bishop, Utah Republican, made the memo public because he didn't want another unilateral land grab by the White House, like what happened under former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

Using the Antiquities Act, President Carter locked up more land than any other president had before him, taking more than 50 million acres in Alaska despite strong opposition from the state.

President Clinton used the authority 22 times to prohibit hunting, recreational vehicles, mining, forestry and even grazing in 5.9 million acres scattered around the country. The law allowed him to single-handedly create 19 new national monuments and expand three others without consulting anyone.

One of the monuments President Clinton created was the Grande Staircase-Escalante in Utah, where 135,000 acres of land were leased for oil and gas and about 65,000 barrels of oil were produced each year from five active wells. But, President Clinton put an end to developing those resources.

President Obama could do the same in other energy-rich places unless Congress takes action. At least 13.5 million acres are already on his Department of Interior's real estate shopping list.

This includes a 58,000-acre area in New Mexico. The memo said this should be done so the lesser prairie chicken and the sand dune lizard will be better protected. Are these animals going extinct? No. The bureaucrats wrote that the land should be locked up to "avoid the necessity of listing either of these species as threatened or endangered."

In Nevada, the Obama administration might make another monument in the Heart of the Great Basin because it, supposedly, is a "center of climate change scientific research."

In Colorado, the government is considering designating the Vermillion Basin as a monument because it is "currently under the threat of oil and gas development."

Americans should be wary of any plans a president has to seize land from the states without their consent. Any new plans to take away states' freedom to use land as they see fit must be stopped.

That's why I sponsored an amendment to block Mr. Obama from declaring any of the 14 lands listed in the memo as "monuments." Unfortunately, the Senate, led by Democrats, rejected it on Thursday evening by a vote of 58-38.

It was particularly disappointing that the Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, of Nevada, voted against the amendment. The government owns more than 80 percent of the land in Nevada and the unemployment rate there is 12.8 percent. Surely it would help job prospects if more land were open for business.

This is a nationwide problem. The government currently owns 650 million acres, or 29 percent of the nation's total land.

Federal bureaucrats shouldn't be wasting time thinking up ways to acquire more, especially in the middle of a recession. Taking the nation's resources offline will stifle job creation and dry up tax revenues.

If anything, the government should be selling land off, not locking more up. By voting against my amendment, the Democrats tacitly endorsed Mr. Obama's secret plan to close off millions more acres to commerce.

If enacted, the plan would mean fewer jobs for Americans.

The Democratic Congress refused to stop it, but one sure way Americans could help block it is if they decide some Democrats should lose their jobs on November.

→Drilling

Quoted:
Yeah because the extractive industry should have access to all areas regardless of where they are.  Self-regulation is the way to go you don't want the pesky .gov getting in the way of companies that left on their own will ALWAYS do the right thing....

Quoted:
Take that bleeding heart liberal bullshit somewhere else...

I am sick of it..It is your ilk that has destroyed this country...

It is apparent you are happy with the demise of the greatest nation ever to be on the face of
the Earth

This has nothing to do with dumping regulations on national lands..It is another power grab by an already
out of control government..Period..

(JIP) Yeah because the extractive industry should have access to all areas regardless of where they are. Self-regulation is the way to go you don't want the pesky .gov getting in the way of companies that left on their own will ALWAYS do the right thing....


→Drilling
2 from Kansas firm guilty in Pa. brine dumping
February 16, 2010|By JOE MANDAK, Associated Press Writer
2010-02-16 10:18:00 PST Pittsburgh, PA 15122, United States — (02-16) 10:18 PST Pittsburgh, PA (AP) ––

Quoted:









Take that bleeding heart liberal bullshit somewhere else...



I am sick of it..It is your ilk that has destroyed this country...



It is apparent you are happy with the demise of the greatest nation ever to be on the face of

the Earth



This has nothing to do with dumping regulations on national lands..It is another power grab by an already

out of control government..Period..

Quoted:
I have said that it wouldn't be very long there would be payoff's to China for our debt..Who wants to make a bet that this isn't where some of the land deeds go???

Quoted:



Take that bleeding heart liberal bullshit somewhere else...

I am sick of it..It is your ilk that has destroyed this country...

It is apparent you are happy with the demise of the greatest nation ever to be on the face of
the Earth

This has nothing to do with dumping regulations on national lands..It is another power grab by an already
out of control government..Period..

I have said that it wouldn't be very long there would be payoff's to China for our debt..Who wants to make a bet that this isn't where some of the land deeds go???

Quoted:

Yeah I mean what an asshole Clinton was for protecting this:

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/grand-staircase.jpg  http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/calf_creek10.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/GrandStaircase-Escalante.jpg  http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/ESCALANTE-NM-SUNRISE.jpg

From the extractive industry.  That river would surely look better with some mine waste in it and I am sure there are some minerals somewhere in there.  By the way the images are from The Grand Staircase Escalante Nat Monument that Slick Willie did his "Lang grab" on and I know we have suffered for that...

 

Quoted:


Were you absent the day they handed out IQs?

Quoted:
Yeah because the extractive industry should have access to all areas regardless of where they are.  Self-regulation is the way to go you don't want the pesky .gov getting in the way of companies that left on their own will ALWAYS do the right thing....

Quoted:
You guys are amateur tin-foilers.

The .gov is taking the land so they can build the NAFTA highway.  You know, the one that has no on/off ramps except in certain points where goods are offloaded from the Mexican trucks.

THAT's tinfoil.

TC

Quoted:


Yeah I mean what an asshole Clinton was for protecting this:



http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/grand-staircase.jpg  http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/calf_creek10.jpg



http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/GrandStaircase-Escalante.jpg  http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/ESCALANTE-NM-SUNRISE.jpg



From the extractive industry.  That river would surely look better with some mine waste in it and I am sure there are some minerals somewhere in there.  By the way the images are from The Grand Staircase Escalante Nat Monument that Slick Willie did his "Lang grab" on and I know we have suffered for that...



 

Quoted:







No. Clinton was an asshole for doing it behind my states back. He didn't even have the balls to sign the paper that created it IN UTAH.... he went to AZ to do it instead.  Having been there.... yes its beautiful. Yes, it probably deserved protection. No, I don't like the feds sticking their noses where they don't belong. No, I don't like the idea of locking up more of OUR states natural rescorces for the sake of satisfying some liberal voting block (the same greenies that brought you the Global Warming farce). Utah has suffered, in that we lose any future money that could be earned from gas or minerals under those lands. It directly effects our states income... our states public schools, and mostly... the local communities near the new Monument.



I'd like to have seen more inclusion of the state, county, and local government in planning the creation of GS-E NM.





 

Quoted:


You are both sensitive and deluded.

Quoted:


Were you absent the day they handed out IQs?

Quoted:











Sensitive about our federal government going feral,Yes!..
Deluded..I think I have a handle on knowing just how far "Power" will cause many to go..





The only thing I am deluded about is the fact how the feds can seize lands that have been used


since the beginning of our nation by LOCALS for jobs and revenue..





If they take this..They will take more and more and more..until there is none left for states to procure and use as needed or set aside for LOCALS and the State governments to decide what to do with


THEIR lands..





When was the last time you saw a "So-Called Conservative-(R)"..Grab lands like this with the full intent being to restrict access in the name of conservation like Carter,Clinton and now Obama?





I say these lands are the people's of the particular States involved.. to do with what is needed..and if that is strip mining for progress or drilling for oil to reduce dependence..So be it..





Now they are in danger of being LOCKED for anything but hippies and grazing chickens..

                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             


                           


                           


                             

Information courtesy                                  of the National Park Service

The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument                                  is partly named for the Escalante River, which                                  flows from Boulder Mountain to the Colorado                                  River. Deep canyons and gorges have been carved                                  over eons of time. These sandstone labyinths                                  with unusual rock shapes and slot canyons offer                                  some of the best hiking and backpacking in the                                  world.                                 When early geologist saw the series of cliffs                                  and plateaus rising 6,000 feet from the Colorado                                  River at the Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon, they                                  called it the Grand Staircase. Three billion                                  years of geologic history make up the layers                                  of sedimentary rocks. Each of the five "steps"                                  has been eroded, revealing cliffs of distinctive                                  color. Travelers can see the Grand Staircase                                  from some of the viewpoints in Bryce Canyon.                                 The new monument by Presidential Proclamation                                  is a natural treasure of minerals, wildlife                                  and plant life. It was home to the Anasazi Indians                                  and remains of their civilization are scattered                                  throughout the area. (Be sure to stop at the                                  Anasazi Indian Village State Park in Boulder                                  and tour the museum and exhibits). It is a place                                  of breathtaking vistas, desert flowers, canyons                                  and plateaus, and scenery that changes with                                  every turn. It is a place of solitude. It is                                  also a recreational paradise for outdoors enthusiasts                                  offering hiking, backpacking, fishing, camping,                                  horseback riding, ATV riding and mountain biking.                                  Guided hikes and pack trips are available locally,                                  as well as horseback riding, ATV, llama, and                                  Jeep tours.                                 The Bureau of Land Management manages the                                  Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.                                  When planning to visit the monument, travelers                                  should contact the Interagency Office in Escalante                                  (801-826-4291). Current information on the monument,                                  road conditions, maps, and hiking information                                  is available.                                 You can access the Monument through two main                                  avenues of travel. Visitors are enchanted by                                  beautiful Scenic Highway 12 in the northern                                  portion of the Monument. In the southern portion,                                  Highway 89 between Kanab, Utah and Page, Arizona                                  offers spectacular vistas of the vermilion cliffs                                  layer of the Grand Staircase geologic feature.                                 Other roads that are partially surfaced include                                  the Burr Trail (to Capitol Reef National Park)                                  and Johnson Canyon (to the Skutumpah turn off).                                  Gravel roads include the Glendale Bench road                                  and a portion of Hole-in-the-Rock road. Driving                                  conditions on sandy and clay roads, such as                                  cottonwood (connecting Kodachrome State Park                                  with Highway 89), Smoky Mountain, Skutumpah,                                  and Croton depend on weather and current maintenance                                  status. Please check current road conditions                                  before traveling on these routs.

Hiking:

Perhaps the best way to experience the diverse                                  terrain of the Monument is to walk through it.                                  Even though developed trails are nearly nonexistent,                                  there are hundreds, if not thousands, of miles                                  of outstanding hiking routs found in the Escalante                                  Canyons, the upper Paria drainage, and other                                  areas. Spring (March through May) and Fall (September                                  through October) are usually the ideal times                                  to hike or backpack. A good map and route finding                                  abilities are a must. Self-register at established                                  trailheads or obtain a free backpacking permit                                  at the Interagency Office if backpacking in                                  the Escalante region. Please leave no trace                                  of your passing.

Scenic                                  Drives:

Many of the principal roads to and through                                  the Monument have been designated scenic backways.                                  Highway 12 is widely recognized as one of the                                  most scenic drives in the United States. Highway                                  89, along the southern boundary of the Monument                                  between Kanab and Big Water offers outstanding                                  views of the Vermilion Cliffs and the Kaiparowits                                  Plateau. Six designated Back Country Backways                                  along more primitive secondary roads provide                                  an off-the-beaten-path adventure into the Monument.

Camping:

Two small, modestly                                developed campgrounds are open year-round on a                                first-come, first-served basis in the Monument.                                Calf Creek (13 sites) next to Highway 12 and Deer                                Creek (5 sites) along the Burr Trail have picnic                                tables, grills, and toilets. Water is available                                spring through fall at Calf Creek only. Nearby                                state parks, national forests, and commercial                                campgrounds in neighboring communities provide                                additional campground options. Backcountry camping                                at undeveloped campsites is allowed at certain                                areas of the Monument. Please observe minimum                                impact camping techniques to preserve the land.                                Camp at previously used sites, cook with a camp                                stove rather than an open fire, and locate your                                camp at least 300 feet from springs and other                                scant water sources. Proper disposal of human                                waste and packing out what you pack in will help                                to keep the backcountry clean.

Mountain                                Biking:

Several secondary                                roads such as the Hole-in-the-Rock road, Burr                                Trail, Cottonwood Canyon, the Wolverine Loop,                                and the Paria Valley roads offer good mountain                                biking routs, both long and short. Please do not                                ride cross-country or alone, and take the same                                precautions as if you were hiking.

Hunting                                & Fishing:

Hunting and fishing                                are traditional uses of the Monument's lands and                                they will remain so under the management of the                                State of Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.                                Please inquire locally for seasons, licenses,                                and other regulations.

4WD                                Roads:

An extensive                                network of primitive 4WD vehicle routs provides                                access to much of the Monuments backcountry. Please                                stay on established routes. Some roads may be                                closed for the protection of resources: please                                obey these closures. Respect private property                                and lands: leave gates open or closed as you find                                them.

Preserve                                The Past:

Whether you drive or hike the backcountry,                                  please remember that, long before the arrival                                  of Europeans, people have lived over much of                                  the Southwest. Signs of these ancient cultures                                  are found within the Monument in the form of                                  ruins, petroglyphs, and potsherds. To the native                                  peoples of the Southwest these sites have significance.                                  Admire the ruins if you come across one, marvel                                  at those long-gone people who lived in an often                                  inhospitable environment, ponder our common                                  humanity - but leave everything where it is.                                  To do otherwise is not only disrespectful but                                  it is also against the law.

Guided                                Trips:

Given the remote, undeveloped nature of the                                  Monument, guided adventures led by seasoned                                  professional outfitters may be the best way                                  for many to experience the Grand Staircase-Escalante.                                  Many types of tours and activities, including                                  hunting and fishing, bicycle treks, vehicle                                  tours, and backcountry hiking trips, are offered                                  by local outfitters and guides. A list of professional                                  guides is provided on our activities                                  page.

Quoted:






"Land grabs" like these are ways of preserving natural places from developers and extractive industry.  It is not wrong to protect a few natural places for the enjoyment of the people rather than exploitation by extractive industry and creation of more private resorts and properties that keep MOST of us out.

 

Quoted:







What makes you think the locals cant decide what industries and activities should be allowed? They handled these lands FINE, for years before the feds stepped in. Sounds like you like a more powerful Federal goverment... not a less powerful one. Do you really think the locals would allow their beautiful backyard to be come a stripmine? I'm sure you enjoy having lights in your house, and power for your computer. That power has to come from somewhere, my friend. Most of the power generated in the USA is from coal. Like it or not. Same goes for natural gas and oil. They all have to come from someones backyard.



There is a happy medium to be met. The Feds virtually seizing land for new parks, does not equate to a happy medium. I would prefer the local people, who love and live on the land, be given a voice in the discussion. They have a larger stake in what happens than anyone else. It's their home. I think that's only fair. Don't you?





 

Quoted:


I am sure that none of the locals want any of the land in their areas despoiled if it was that simple this would not happen.  The people that allow areas to be raped are local politicians who care more about the next election than preserving multi-use land for generations of hunters, hikers, 4WDrs and, more.  Look at WV for example you have 2 LONG term senators who bring home tons of bacon and a lot of it is by allowing the coal industry to rape the land all around them.  This might sound like a great idea but there are a lot of former coal families whose homes are being destroyed and despoiled by flood waters from mountain top removal mining or whole areas are being wrecked by fly-ash ponds letting go and sweeping neighborhoods with it.
 

Quoted:
Wait a minute...There might be legal precedent... Of course, Land snatching...

"grabs law book"

Land, Land... Land: See Snatch.

Ah, Haley vs. United States. Haley: 7, United States: nothing. You see, it can be done!

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I am sure that none of the locals want any of the land in their areas despoiled if it was that simple this would not happen.  The people that allow areas to be raped are local politicians who care more about the next election than preserving multi-use land for generations of hunters, hikers, 4WDrs and, more.  Look at WV for example you have 2 LONG term senators who bring home tons of bacon and a lot of it is by allowing the coal industry to rape the land all around them.  This might sound like a great idea but there are a lot of former coal families whose homes are being destroyed and despoiled by flood waters from mountain top removal mining or whole areas are being wrecked by fly-ash ponds letting go and sweeping neighborhoods with it.
 

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I'm not sure how much time you've spent in Kane and Garfield Counties.  But the families that have lived and worked that land for years pretty much got fucked on this deal.  Their communities are dying their kids are leaving.  They took it with a good attitude and figured they'd convert over to dealing with tourists.  But the tourism never built up as promised and they're being forced out of their grazing permits.  Besides lots of roads were closed and it's a tough job to get in to service springs and check on cows in that country when you can't drive to them.  Do what you want in PA and stay right the fuck out of Utah.  When you destroy a man's livelihood and his family that's a violence that you can't diminish.  When his children leave to go to the city there that means they are 5 or more hours from the family home.  Grandchildren grow up without grandparents.  Children cannot return to live in the place where they grew up and the old people either die alone or are forced to go live in an alien world.  We're talking about some of the most remote country in the lower 48.  If you've been there you enjoyed the privilege of enjoying these people's back yard.  Their families suffered and pursued their happiness there for generations.  They were deprived of luxuries long after the rest of the country got ahead but for them it was worth the hardship to live and work in such a beautiful place.  They wanted that life and that privilege for their progeny but you're cheering the federal government screwing them out of it.  Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness unless the east coasters think you're a ignorant hick from Escalante.

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I'm not sure how much time you've spent in Kane and Garfield Counties.  But the families that have lived and worked that land for years pretty much got fucked on this deal.  Their communities are dying their kids are leaving.  They took it with a good attitude and figured they'd convert over to dealing with tourists.  But the tourism never built up as promised and they're being forced out of their grazing permits.  Besides lots of roads were closed and it's a tough job to get in to service springs and check on cows in that country when you can't drive to them.  Do what you want in PA and stay right the fuck out of Utah.  When you destroy a man's livelihood and his family that's a violence that you can't diminish.  When his children leave to go to the city there that means they are 5 or more hours from the family home.  Grandchildren grow up without grandparents.  Children cannot return to live in the place where they grew up and the old people either die alone or are forced to go live in an alien world.  We're talking about some of the most remote country in the lower 48.  If you've been there you enjoyed the privilege of enjoying these people's back yard.  Their families suffered and pursued their happiness there for generations.  They were deprived of luxuries long after the rest of the country got ahead but for them it was worth the hardship to live and work in such a beautiful place.  They wanted that life and that privilege for their progeny but you're cheering the federal government screwing them out of it.  Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness unless the east coasters think you're a ignorant hick from Escalante.

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I know it sucks when it seems like outsiders are changing things but be glad it is the .gov protecting the land and not oil and gas despoiling wells and dumping waste all over the place and destroying it.

 

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Yeah I mean what an asshole Clinton was for protecting this:

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/grand-staircase.jpg  http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/calf_creek10.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/GrandStaircase-Escalante.jpg  http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i245/jimp6995/ESCALANTE-NM-SUNRISE.jpg

From the extractive industry.  That river would surely look better with some mine waste in it and I am sure there are some minerals somewhere in there.  By the way the images are from The Grand Staircase Escalante Nat Monument that Slick Willie did his "Lang grab" on and I know we have suffered for that...