The new chair of the powerful Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee secured a vote Thursday afternoon in the U.S. Senate on a controversial proposal to sell off America’s national forests and other public lands.
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski’s (R-AK) amendment, which passed by a vote of 51 to 49, is now part of the Senate’s nonbinding budget resolution. The proposal would support and fund state efforts — which many argue are unconstitutional — to seize and sell America’s public lands. These include all national forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, historic sites, and national monuments.
Murkowski’s amendment, which would need further legislation to become law, follows a similar proposal from House Natural Resources Committee Chair Rob Bishop (R-UT) to spend $50 million of taxpayer dollars to fund the sale or transfer of U.S. public lands to states.
The land grab proposals in Congress this year appear to echo the calls of outlaw rancher Cliven Bundy, best known for his armed standoff with federal officials last year, who has infamously refused to recognize the authority of the federal government, including over public lands.
You know just when you think that perhaps Lisa Murkowski is one of the better Republicans she does something like this to remind you that there ARE no better Republicans.
The reasoning Murkowski is using to push this vote is that the government could sell the public lands to pay down the deficit. A deficit by the way that the President has already reduced by approximately two thirds without selling any of our national forests to do so.
No if you know Lisa Murkowski, and sadly I do, she is only thinking of those sweet oil company profits and how nice a portion of them will look inside her campaign coffers the next time she runs for office.
She is, after all, her father's daughter.
