Bush Says “Local Control? Go to Hell”
Its ironic that the party that carried the banner for the Sagebrush Rebellion is now working against letting governors and local communities have more of a say in how federal lands in the West are managed.
Last summer when the Bush administration's roadless rule came out, it gave the opportunity for governors to impact how the rules would be applied in their states. I argued that this was a chance for Western Democrat Governors to show their chops. Use the opportunity to show that local governments can do the job that the federal government isn't going to do: protecting local communities, forests and economies.
The Department of Agriculture quickly rejected Gov. Ted Kulongoski's suggestions that the original rule be reinstated. Its expected that the federal government will do the same with Washington's request. So much for local control.
We'll see how this goes as more governors start releasing their requests.
The second punchline? Rep. Richard Pombo of California is suggesting that we star selling off millions of acres of federal land throughout the West. Local people aren't the best stewards, the federal government isn't the right way. Best leave that up to big, far-away companies.
Emmett O'Connell | November 13, 2005 | Comment on This Post (0 so far) |
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(and yes, we know that sometimes they're very, very wrong. Other times, they're right on.)
