Romney to hand national parks to highest bidder in full-scale assault on public lands

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"DENVER, Colorado — A key western congressman declared late last week that Mitt Romney supports his push to 'reverse this trend of public ownership of lands.'

In a speech to the Colorado Conservative Political Action Conference, Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM) criticized Teddy Roosevelt’s 'big ideas of big forests and big national parks,' which primarily exist in the West. Pearce told the audience that, if elected, Mitt Romney will help turn back public lands to the states or private entities.

PEARCE: America, each state, the public lands were given back to the states after they were chartered. But in the West, starting with Teddy Roosevelt who had the big ideas of big forests and big national parks, they held that land. And so the next chart shows you the effect on us in the West. Just understand this is the education. The red is of course bad. We’re starved in the West for education funds because of policies that Mitt Romney sat and listened to Rob Bishop and myself explain when it came to Hobbs. He knows that if we want to reverse the trend, we’ll reverse this trend of public ownership of lands starving education."

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/10/09/964141/steve-pearce-public-lands/



Gov. Romney And Rep. Paul Ryan Want To Drill, Slash, And Sell Our Public Lands

"Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the Republican presidential nominee, told The Reno Gazette-Journal earlier this year that he doesn’t know “the purpose of ” public lands. Presidents since Theodore Roosevelt—who was an avid hunter and the father of American conservation—have realized the many purposes of public lands. They support our nation’s energy sector, provide clean air and clean water, and serve a critical role in preserving our heritage as a nation. Protecting parks, monuments, and other wilderness areas stimulates hundreds of thousands of jobs from recreation and tourism alone. Yet Gov. Romney apparently thinks our 700 million acres of federal public lands serve no obvious purpose.

So what are Gov. Romney’s and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI), policies on public lands? We examined the plans of the two candidates alongside their previous votes and policy positions, discovering that, for them, the purpose of public lands is:

• More access for oil and gas drilling and less investment in cleaner alternative energy sources
• The sale of public lands rather than further conservation for future enjoyment and job creation
• Less public access to public lands due to ill-considered budget cuts rather than investments in our parks and wilderness areas to boost local economies and jobs"

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/09/10/820261/gov-romney-and-rep-paul-ryan-want-to-drill-slash-and-sell-our-public-lands/

Evil.

[msongs]

1. great! let's start with Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, the entire great salt lake basin, + all of Utah

[Wellstone ruled]

2. This has been the

plan by the Mormon Church since the late 1800's. The reestablishment of the state of Deseret. This is and has been the ruse of the States Rights bull crap for decades. Sell all,I mean give the Public lands to their friends as a reward for GOP contributions.

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3. Good call. nt

[Historic NY]

4. I'm calling dibs on a fort then...

[enough]

5. k&r (nt)

[OnionPatch]

6. This is one of the major reasons why I will NEVER support a Republican.

I can envision the day when my grandchildren have to pony up hundreds of dollars to some fat cats to take a step into the last remaining forest in America.

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7. Obama has to figure out a way to bring this up in the debate

Republicans enjoy national parks too, and once they're gone, they ain't coming back.