Public Pressure Forces Obama Administration to Reverse Course on Job-Killing Public Land Policy, Salazar Retreats — Major Victory for Western States against Administration’s ‘War on Western Jobs’
Washington, D.C. – Today, Ken Salazar, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, announced he will not proceed with his plan to designate public lands as “Wild Lands.” In a letter to the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, Secretary Salazar reversed course on the controversial order he issued on December 22, 2010. This reversal comes after the U.S. Congress defunded the job-killing initiative in the 2011 CR.
Congressional Western Caucus Chairman Stevan Pearce (R-NM) released the following statement following the announcement from the Department of the Interior on the controversial ‘Wild Lands’ initiative:
“The ‘Wild Lands’ proposal issued by Secretary Salazar last December was another attempt by the Obama Administration to circumvent congressional authority in the Administration’s ‘War on Western Jobs.’ It would have had tremendous negative impacts on job creation, energy production and recreation throughout the West.
“On behalf of the Congressional Western Caucus, I would like to thank Congressional Western Caucus members Chairmen Doc Hastings, Mike Simpson and Rob Bishop for their leadership on the ‘Wild Lands’ issue. Each was instrumental in the vigorous oversight and ultimate defunding of this dangerous policy.
“Despite the victory today on Salazar’s proposed ‘Wild Land’s policy, there is still a ‘War on Western Jobs’ being waged by the Administration. While cautiously optimistic that we have won a major battle, we must remain vigilant and continue to fight the war to stop these types of job-killing initiatives.”
The Wild Lands policy, created by Secretarial Order 3310, asserted that the Bureau of Land Management had the authority to “designate appropriate areas with wilderness characteristics under its jurisdiction as ‘Wild Lands’ and to manage them to protect their wilderness value.” The Wilderness Act of 1964 gives Congress the sole authority to designate public lands as Wilderness areas.
The Wilderness designation is the most restrictive land use policy that can be taken as it places severe limitations on public access to public lands. In addition to the impacts on jobs and the economy, many forms of popular recreation and access could be prohibited.
Section 1769 of the FY2011 CR states:
“none of the funds made available by this division or any other Act may be used to implement, administer, or enforce Secretarial Order No. 3310 issued by the Secretary of the Interior on December 22, 2010.”
Caren Cowan
Executive Director
New Mexico Cattle Growers’ Association
POB 7517
Albuquerque NM 87194
Just imagine what we could do if we turned all the bullets outward…
