Most voters -- except those in Utah and Wyoming -- oppose efforts to transfer federal lands, such as this area of Canyonlands National Park, over to the states/Kurt Repanshek
A public opinion poll of eight Western states has produced somewhat contradictory results when it comes to federal lands in those states. While strong numbers voiced positive views of agencies such as the National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service, equally strong numbers held their state governments in higher esteem than the federal government. Overall, though, a slight majority opposes proposals to turn federal lands over to the states.
The polling conducted earlier this month comes as legislators in Utah are threatening to sue the federal government if it doesn't hand over federal lands in the Beehive State and as some congressional delegations in the region chafe at federal land ownership and management.
In Utah, state Rep. Ken Ivory two years ago sponsored the Transfer of Public Lands Act and Related Study, which was signed into law by Gov. Gary Herbert in March 2012. The bill established a deadline of this coming December 31 for the federal government to turn over Utah's nearly 20 million acres of public lands to the state, or it will sue. (It should be noted, though, that Utah's Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel advised the Legislature that the measure has "a high probability of being held unconstitutional.")
According to the Center for American Progress, which conducted the polling, similar legislative efforts are under way or in development in seven other Western states. And yet, the group's polling Sept. 10-14 found that 52 percent of the 1,600 voters contacted oppose a transfer of federal lands to their states. That majority feared, the pollsters said, that such a transfer would lead to higher state taxes or would lead their legislatures to sell off the lands rather than bear the costs of managing them.
'In New Mexico, we have a deep connection to our public lands. They are part of our history, our culture, and our economy,' said Sen. Martin Heinrich in a release outlining the polling results. 'These lands belong to all of us, and it is imperative that we keep it that way. Efforts to seize or sell off millions of acres of federal public lands throughout the West would bring a proliferation of closed gates and no trespassing signs in places that have been open and used for generations. These privatization schemes would devastate outdoor traditions such as hunting and fishing that are among the pillars of Western culture and a thriving outdoor recreation economy.'
* 76 percent of the respondents thought the National Park Service was doing a good job managing the parks;
* 73 percent approved of the jobs being done by both the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Forest Service;
* 48 percent approved of the job being done by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (vs. 34 percent who disapproved);
* 68 percent had a negative view of the federal government.
Among the states surveyed -- Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and New Mexico -- only Utah and Wyoming respondents favored a transfer of federal lands to their states. In Utah, 52 percent of the respondents were in favor, while in Wyoming 48 percent backed such a proposal vs. 46 percent opposed. Overall, a slight majority (47 percent vs 44 percent) of respondents who had never visited a federal landscape during the past year were in favor of the lands transfer.
Another aspect of the polling found that a strong majority of respondents (72 percent) "consider public lands like national forests and BLM lands to be more 'American places' than 'state places.''
You can find the questions for the survey here.
Comments
C'mon, folks, the Tea Party debate has dragged on long enough and there's nothing left to say that will convince you guys to switch sides. Let's move on.
Kurt, I don't think anyone is trying to convince anyone to switch sides. What is being pointed out is the baseless demonization of the TP by the left. Lee has shown us a clear example of it. If the left love America, then why do they want to fundamentally change it?
Regardless, the Feds over reach continues to fuel the wants of States to regain control of lands asked by thier constituents. In the "east" we have pondered this as well, but would rather the Feds loosen thier grip that is hurting the States.
Let's just leave it at this. It appears that beach and Kurt and others here have not actually taken a look a the stuff on the TP website. Do it and then see if you don't understand what I'm trying to point out.
Don't just stop at the home page. Dig around.
http://www.teaparty.org/
Ohh boy, the world is always in change, so of course the US will too. Some still like to pretend it's the 1950s, or in someones case the 1860s, and it's hard to find that mentality anything but laughable.
And seriously, a few extremists in the "east" have pondered killing off federal lands, and they definitely do not represent the sentiment of the majority, and I live in the middle of "bagger country" and it's funny that all those that carry the gadsen sure do make thier money from the tourists simply because these lands are protected by the feds. The hypocrisy and short sighted views are very noticable. Even Butch Otter, the governor of Idaho said attempting to have these lands transferred to the state is a waste of time, and he's about as red as they come. Utah, and especially the mormon population has always had anti-government sentiments, so it's not suprising they share those views, but most of the west is not Mormon once you get outside of Utah. . And I think this polling is quite legit on the sentiments in the West.. The people in the west that want to see the states take over the public lands and lock them up, are always the types that never went out into the landscape. Those that do, whether they are hunters, hikers, mountain bikers, or anglers do not want to see them fall into the hands of the states. The only ones that seem to want state takeover are those in the logging/mining industries, or those that just don't utiliize public lands at all. And this poll did state that a majority of the people with the "takeover mentality" don't utilize public lands.
Lee, you will have to help. If you don't point to something, then one can only conclude your guilty of the the baseless demonization. I looked around and most of the content are just reprints of articles from other sources. I get that a lot of the content does shed your side not in a good light, but I havent found anything untruthful.
I dont belong to any of the TP orgs or groups but on the surface I think I support most of what they stand for. I see a lot of demonization of the TP but I can't find anything to back it up. I am being honest and would hope you will too.
http://www.teaparty.org/michael-savage-blames-president-obola-virus-u-s-...
http://www.teaparty.org/hottea/
opps double post.
That image where a little kid is pointing a gun at the camera and the caption says "Take your globalist ideas and get out" is rather funny. Yet, I don't feel scared or threatned by these jokes. Provincial crazies that can't adapt to a changing world is all I see from that image. They are the Murican' taliban, and remind me of the lunatic fringe in other countries that have kids roaming the streets with AKs.. And honestly, I have no problem with gun ownership either. But this showcases that they seem to want to use kids as war pawns to fight their "revolution".