Accusations of land grab in budget bill

[Judi Lynn]

Accusations of land grab in budget bill
Malls, homes feared on hundreds of thousands of acres of public forests and deserts
Zachary Coile, Chronicle Washington Bureau

Thursday, November 24, 2005
Washington -- California lawmakers and environmental groups warn that a provision in the House budget bill could allow individuals and companies to develop hundreds of thousands of acres of desert, forest or other public lands across the state.

The measure could affect areas from Death Valley to Lake Tahoe, where public lands subject to active mining claims could be converted to private ownership. The land could be mined or used to build homes, ski resorts, shopping malls or other commercial development.

Supporters of the provision -- which ends a 1994 ban on mining land purchases imposed by Congress and the Clinton administration -- claim it would help rural communities make the transition to new types of development after their local mines have closed.

"Without this measure, the jobs and infrastructures of these communities can literally disappear when a mine closes," said Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., the chief sponsor of the measure, whose state has a large mining industry.
(snip/...)

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/11/24/MNGUSFTMJO1.DTL

[xchrom]

1. feh -- pombo, gibbons -- they're pigs.

[Lorien]

2. Stop the Pombo land grab!

Go to: www.PomboInTheirPocket.org

[acmavm]

4. Done. n/t

[Judi Lynn]

5. Thanks. Done.

[dennisnyc]

3. Also, info can be found from Amanda Griscom Little at

http://www.grist.org/news/muck/2005/11/17/land-sale/

What's Yours Is Mine

Mining-law revamp could put millions of public acres up for sale
By Amanda Griscom Little
17 Nov 2005
Greens beamed and GOP leaders bristled last week after language paving the way for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on the Outer Continental Shelf was stricken from the House budget reconciliation bill. But many Democrats and enviros are now sounding the alarm over another provision in the bill, one that's stirred up far less of a public ruckus but is "every bit as bad as drilling in the Arctic," said Dusty Horwitt, senior policy analyst for the Environmental Working Group.

--snip--

"To our knowledge, it represents the largest land giveaway in modern American history," said Horwitt. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D-W.Va.), ranking member of the House Resources Committee, called Pombo's proposal "a raid on America's public lands and our natural resources heritage of almost unparalleled proportions."

...more at http://www.grist.org/news/muck/2005/11/17/land-sale/

[JanusAscending]

7. THEIVES !!

The land belongs to the Indians!! I'd rather see it go back to it's rightful owners than to some private enterprise!!

[dennisnyc]

9. Amen! eom EOM!

[Lorien]

6. Kickity

:kick:

[Democat]

8. Democrats should threaten to stop all Senate business if this goes through

Filibuster everything - every bill - until Republicans remove this from consideration.

If there is a single issue where Democrats can easily win the public relations war, it is the environment.

Why Democrats don't fight harder and more publicly for the environment is a mystery.