DuBois column: Permanent Land Grabs

Permanent land grabs

On November 19 it became official. Both major political parties endorse a forever expanding federal estate. Keep in mind the feds own 29 percent of all the land in the U.S. and 90 percent of what they own is in the Western States. In addition, the four federal land management agencies have a total of $19.3 billion in deferred maintenance. In other words, they can’t maintain what they already own.

So what occurred on November 19? The Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources passed a bill to permanently and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The bill, S. 1081, is titled “Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act”. The real kicker here is the language which states, “shall be made available for expenditure, without further appropriation or fiscal year limitation.”

What does that language mean? Under current law dollars for federal land acquisition must compete annually with other federal programs. When Trump signs this bill into law, dollars for federal land acquisition will no longer have to compete - they will be on automatic pilot - $900 million each year must be spent on land acquisition.

What about programs to provide for our national defense? They must still compete, which means Republicans place a higher priority on government acquisition of private property.

What about funding research to find a cure for cancer or certain childhood diseases? They must still compete, which means Republicans place a higher priority on having less private property and more government owned and managed property than they do on the 600,000 people who die of cancer each year.

Well, what about the fact the feds can't take care of the lands they already own and which have billions of dollars of deferred maintenance? The National Park Service alone has $12 billion in deferred maintenance which includes "bridges, tunnels, paved parking areas,  paved roadways, buildings, housing, campgrounds, trails, waste water systems, water systems, unpaved roads, unpaved parking areas, utility systems, dams, constructed waterways, marinas, aviation systems, railroads, ships, monuments, fortifications, towers, interpretive media, and amphitheaters."

What do the Republicans say about that? They have an answer: SPEND MORE MONEY!

The same Senate committee on the same day approved S. 500, the “Restore Our Parks Act.” This bill would establish the “National Park Service Legacy Restoration Fund” and fill its coffers by taking “50 percent of all energy development revenues due and payable to the United States from oil, gas, coal, or alternative or renewable energy development on Federal land and water that would otherwise be credited, covered, or deposited as miscellaneous receipts under Federal law.” This bill also contains the non-compete language.

To summarize, Congress is taking 50 percent of the revenues from federal energy development and permanently dedicating it to the Land and Water Conservation Fund which is primarily used for land acquisition. Since the feds can’t take care of what they already have, Congress is taking the other 50 percent of energy development revenues and dedicating it to address the deferred maintenance of the National Park Service.

Will they raise your taxes to pay for this? Yes, but in a round-about way. These funds were deposited in the U.S treasury, and were on the income side of the ledger.  Now they will be spent on parking lots, towers, amphitheaters, etc., and will go on the spending side of the ledger and thereby increase our national debt. Congress must pay the interest on our national debt each year, and that is funded by taxpayer dollars. They count on you not noticing this round-about way of dealing with your tax dollars.

So there you have it. Congress places a higher priority on federal land grabs and housing for Park Service employees than they do on our national defense or curing cancer.

Do you still think the enviros aren't calling the shots on Capitol Hill?

Further, the Department of Interior recently disbanded their Outdoor Recreation Advisory Committee. Why? Apparently because the advisory board, which was established by former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke in 2017 and commonly known as the "Made in America" committee, had recommended privatizing campgrounds within national parks and allowing food trucks as a way to bring more money into the system.

The enviros don't want private money to keep the backlog from growing even larger because some recreationists might be "priced out of national treasures." If private money is not used, then taxpayer money will be, and that means campers visits will be subsidized by others.

This all goes back to the fact the enviro/progressives want nothing "private" or "commercial" to occur on or with federal lands. And that includes not only private-run camping, but also livestock grazing, hunting, mining, oil & gas leasing, etc.  They want all things private to be excluded. That is their ultimate goal, that is nirvana for them, and after many years of effort and many dollars spent, they are slowly achieving their goal. The Trump administration has proven to be a bump in the road for them, but has not provided the U-turn that is needed.

Green New Deal

A first try to enact Green New Deal proposals into legislation would overhaul 1 million public housing units to make them carbon neutral. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have introduced the “Green New Deal for Public Housing Act” that would use seven grant programs to upgrade public housing to include organic grocery stores, onsite childcare, and community gardens. It would also provide bicycles and high-speed internet.

This gives me the opportunity to propose the DuBois New Deal. Instead of free bicycles and high-speed internet to each public housing unit, my plan would provide every bunkhouse with free ropes and fast horses.

Here’s wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Prosperous New Year.

Frank DuBois was the NM Secretary of Agriculture from 1988 to 2003, is the author of a blog: The Westerner (www.thewesterner.blogspot.com) and is the founder of The DuBois Rodeo Scholarship and The DuBois Western Heritage Foundation

This column originally appeared in the December issues of The New Mexico Stockman and The Livestock Market Digest.