In its waning days, the Obama Administration implemented aggressive land use regulations that undermined local land management in many western states. Now congress has used the Congressional Review Act to roll back these onerous regulations, says Colorado Congressman Scott Tipton.
“In the West particularly where the abundance of of our natural public lands are at, we want to make sure we have access to those lands and make sure that our local communities are engaged in the planning process, as well. Local governors, as well. The 2.0 rule was implementing a process where communities weren’t having that actual input and supplanting the actions our governors could take, as well,” Tipton explains.
It was that 2.0 rule, implemented by the Bureau of Land Management or BLM that caused Westerners to object. The rule would have taken many land and resource management decisions away from states and localities. Tipton says his legislation will reverse that.
“You know, our lands are incredibly important in the State of Colorado in my district and access to those public lands. Keep them in the public domain, but let’s make sure we are having the opportunity to grow businesses, let’s make sure that we’re using resources going to be responsible. And protecting the land as well. And we want to make sure that we are having a place at the table. With our state government when there is a planning process on those lands,” Tipton said.
More local control of local public lands that happen to be owned by the federal government. That’s what western states want, but that was not what the Obama administration was doing, says Frontiers for Freedom President George Landrith who got his start as staff member for a Wyoming senator.
“The tail end of the Obama Administration as they were walking out the door, they passed a bunch of regulations on more federal rules, regulations on land that’s either controlled by the federal government or in many cases they have passed rules that effect people who own their own lands. And they just said enough of this.”
Regulatory relief for western lands appears to be on its way. Tipton says that his legislation has been approved by both the House and Senate, and is awaiting President Trump’s signature.
http://www.oann.com/congress-moves-roll-back-regulations-federal-lands/
