Obama To Restore Wilderness Rules For Public Lands

[jefferson_dem]

Obama To Restore Wilderness Rules For Public Lands
by The Associated Press

December 23, 2010

The Obama administration plans to reverse a Bush-era policy and make millions of undeveloped acres of land once again eligible for federal wilderness protection, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Thursday.

The agency will replace the 2003 policy adopted under former Interior Secretary Gale Norton, Salazar said. That policy — derided by some as the "No More Wilderness'' policy — stated that new areas could not be recommended for wilderness protection by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and opened millions of acres in the Rocky Mountain region to potential commercial development.

That policy "frankly never should have happened and was wrong in the first place,'' Salazar said Thursday.

Environmental activists have been pushing for the Obama administration to restore protections for potential wilderness areas.

Salazar said the agency will review some 220 million acres of BLM land that's not currently under wilderness protection to see which should be given a new "Wild Lands'' designation — a new step for land awaiting a wilderness decision. Congress would decide whether those lands should be designated permanent wilderness areas, Salazar said.

Congressional Republicans pounced on the "Wild Lands'' announcement as an attempt by the Obama administration to close land to development without congressional approval.

<SNIP>

http://www.npr.org/2010/12/23/132294366/obama-to-restore-wilderness-rules-for-public-lands?ft=1&f=1014&sc=tw

[tabatha]

1. Damn, they should have done this earlier

if it has to be approved by Congress.

Edited: I just read this:

These "Wild Lands'' would be separate from Wilderness Study Areas that must be authorized by Congress. Wild Lands can be designated by the BLM after a public planning process and would be managed with protective measures detailed in a land use plan.

[egoclothes]

9. lots of BLM land is in red state areas. Yes, it should have been

done earlier.

[mtnsnake]

2. Obama has overturned numerous of Bush's horrific envirionmentally disastrous policies

Another poster, Honeycombe8, pointed out a similar such reversal:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x573033#573543

[Laelth]

3. This is encouraging.

Not sure why it took 2 years to get around to this, though. If anyone knows, I'd like to hear the explanation.

-Laelth

[impik]

8. Because they didn't have anything else to do.

[Laelth]

12. Well, that's a possible answer.

Do you think it's likely?

-Laelth

[treestar]

13. Exactly - these posts remind me of ill natured managers or judges

or clients/customers - who treat others as if they have only the business with the judgmental jerk to deal with.

[rhett o rick]

4. Bravo. nm

[Clio the Leo]

5. I predict a Palin FB entry about this by 2pm EST.

.... just WAIT until she wakes up and reads this. ;)

[Kdillard]

6. Great news. K and R.

[Pisces]

7. Excellent News!! n/t.

[lunatica]

10. The heroes who fought for the National Parks always said

that Americans have to continue to fight for them because someone will always come along to try to privatize them or commercialize them with Fast Food franchises.

Thanks you President Obama.

If anyone hasn't watched Ken Burn's National Parks documentary series you should.

[Hawkowl]

11. +1 for Obama

This is a good thing.

[quaker bill]

14. K&R

for good news