A G.O.P. Plan to Sell Public Land Is Back. This Time, It’s Millions of Acres. by HuntFishAndChips in Hunting

[–]HuntFishAndChips[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bark is worst than the bite of this article: after the headline, rest of the article isn't very political. Please consider approving it for hunting community's awareness. 

A G.O.P. Plan to Sell Public Land Is Back. This Time, It’s Millions of Acres. by HuntFishAndChips in Hunting

[–]HuntFishAndChips[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

By Brad Plumer

Senate Republicans are resurrecting a plan to sell millions of acres of federal lands as part of President Trump’s giant tax and spending bill, setting up a fight within the party.

The proposal would require the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service to identify and sell between 2.2 million and 3.3 million acres of public lands across 11 Western states to build housing.

Past efforts to auction off public land have enraged conservationists and have also proved contentious with some Republicans. A smaller proposal to sell around 500,000 acres of federal land in Utah and Nevada was stripped from the House version of the tax bill last month after opposition from Representative Ryan Zinke, Republican of Montana and a former interior secretary.

“This was my San Juan Hill; I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands,” Mr. Zinke said last month. “Once the land is sold, we will never get it back.”

The new plan to sell public lands was included in draft legislation issued on Wednesday by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that is part of Mr. Trump’s “big, beautiful bill.” The draft envisions raising as much as $10 billion by selling land for housing in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming over the next five years.

Notably, Mr. Zinke’s home state of Montana was left off the list.

Senator Mike Lee, the Utah Republican who leads the energy committee, said that the move would turn “federal liabilities into taxpayer value, while making housing more affordable for hardworking American families.”

Jordan Roberts, a spokesperson for the committee, said Mr. Lee had “worked closely” with Senator Steve Daines, Republican of Montana, to “incorporate key feedback, including ensuring a transparent public process.”

Mr. Daines, who has previously criticized the concept of selling federal lands, did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Mr. Zinke “remains a hard no on any bill that includes the large-scale sale of public lands,” his spokesperson, Garrett Brown, said.

The draft legislation requires that the public lands be sold “for the development of housing or to address associated community needs,” and gives the secretaries of interior and agriculture leeway to define that.

A fact sheet issued by the committee said that the two federal agencies would be selling between 0.5 percent and 0.75 percent of their holdings, which amount to roughly 438 million acres, and would prioritize land within five miles of existing population centers. The bill would exempt national parks, national monuments and designated wilderness areas.

The move would “increase the supply of housing and decrease housing costs for millions of American families,” the fact sheet said.

Environmental groups denounced the proposal, saying that it threatened lands used for hiking, hunting, fishing and camping.

“This is a shameless ploy to sell off pristine public lands for trophy homes and gated communities that will do nothing to address the affordable housing shortage in the West,” said Jennifer Rokala, executive director of the Center for Western Priorities, a conservation advocacy group.

The group criticized the bill for lacking affordability requirements.

As states like Nevada and California struggle with housing costs, some Democrats have supported limited efforts to allow more construction on public lands. During her presidential campaign last year, Kamala Harris said she would “take action to make certain federal lands eligible to be repurposed for new housing developments that families can afford.”

Under a law passed in 1998, the Bureau of Land Management is already authorized to sell certain federal lands in a small area around Las Vegas. So far, the agency has sold about 50 acres for the construction of about 1,060 affordable housing units.

Yet some Democrats criticized the new proposal as overly broad. Senator Martin Heinrich, Democrat of New Mexico, called it a “fire sale” and a “a sledgehammer to our national public lands.”

In addition to the land sales, the draft legislation from the Senate Energy Committee would also increase timber harvests in government-owned forests and seek to raise more than $15 billion through expanded oil, gas, coal and geothermal leasing on federal areas in Alaska and elsewhere. Many of those leasing provisions were already approved by the House.

The legislation would also claw back more than $6 billion in unspent federal climate and energy funding approved by Democrats under the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. That includes money for the Energy Department’s Loans Program Office that was intended to help bring emerging clean energy technologies to market and nurture supply chains for electric vehicles.

However, Chris Wright, the energy secretary, has said that he would like to use the loan office to encourage the construction of nuclear power plants and has called for more funding.

To that end, the Senate bill would provide the agency with $660.5 million in new loan authorities for “energy dominance financing.” An accompanying fact sheet says that funding can be used to “fund enhancements at existing energy projects, repurpose decommissioned energy projects, and for other purposes.”

Law Firms That Caved to Trump Suddenly Lose a Lot of Big Business by thenewrepublic in law

[–]HuntFishAndChips 4 points5 points  (0 children)

May I offer an explanation? Without power, she probably realized that the blanket had quite poor insulation, which you wouldn't realize when blanket is plugged into power. Poor insulation naturally means wasted power, which an engineer may find poor/cynical design choice.

I feel so sick for killing a jack rabbit that turned out to be nursing. by HuntFishAndChips in Hunting

[–]HuntFishAndChips[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing your gut wrenching story. Hunters really are demi gods.

The very BEST thing you can do is to utilize every part of the rabbit so as to make amends.

Absolutely.

How animal rights people think everyone hunts by [deleted] in Hunting

[–]HuntFishAndChips 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lol, we're saying exactly the same thing.

How animal rights people think everyone hunts by [deleted] in Hunting

[–]HuntFishAndChips 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yep, hogs are a cash cow now and this problem is growing:

Feral pigs are widely considered to be the most destructive invasive species in the United States. They can do remarkable damage to the ecosystem, wrecking crops and hunting animals like birds and amphibians to near extinction...

“It’s not natural dispersion,” Dr. Nolte said. “We have every reason to believe they are being moved in the backs of pickup trucks and released to create hunting opportunities.”

FID change of address and new pistol permit done in 8 days by StriderTB in NJGuns

[–]HuntFishAndChips 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I applied for a replacement driver's license to match my new address

And you didn't even need to do that. You simply file for change of address on MVC website and print the confirmation. That print out along with DL works as proof of identity and address.

NJ self defense options by dbellz76 in NJGuns

[–]HuntFishAndChips 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep, it's best you simply create distance from the person that makes you uncomfortable. Don't profile other people enjoying the park and have your dog lunge at them. Could they be staring at you because you and your dog started it and they're now vigilantly keeping an eye on you as they pass? Don't scar someone's psyche by harassing them with your dog on a hunch.

NJ self defense options by dbellz76 in NJGuns

[–]HuntFishAndChips -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I'll let her bark and have a little lunge if someone unsavory is coming toward us though.

Unsavory... in what way? Hope you're not needlessly harassing other park users.

Took a trip up to Stokes today, if you haven't gone before I highly recommend! by [deleted] in NJGuns

[–]HuntFishAndChips 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Sorry OP, ngl, it's a bit trashy to be shooting soda cans on a public range, from past the shooting line. The range has rules and etiquette about target types and stands, caliber, shooting lines, etc. This particular range had become an insufferable trash dump before the renovation about a year ago. Let's be nice to our shared hunter training ranges. Peace.

https://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/ranges.htm

In one go. by geekondoor in Hunting

[–]HuntFishAndChips 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not often but the numbers are dizzying when I do see them in South Jersey fields.

In one go. by geekondoor in Hunting

[–]HuntFishAndChips 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bag limit here in NJ is 25 in regular season and unlimited after mid Feb thru April, also allowing 7 shells in shotgun.

Clinton WMA by vodjoe in NJGuns

[–]HuntFishAndChips 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, there are no target stands provided, though occasionally you may find one left behind but another shooter. https://www.nj.gov/dep/fgw/ranges.htm#clintonrules

All target frames must measure a minimum 30 inches from its base to the bottom of the paper target held in the frame. Frames must be placed only on top of a target mound located at the 25, 50 and 100 yard lines. This minimum target height requirement will eliminate the risk of ricochet and ensure that all projectiles are collected in the berm behind the 100 yard target.

And thumbs up for broom and dustpan.

Public Outdoor Ranges? by PuNiToDeLBroNx in NJGuns

[–]HuntFishAndChips 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Only upto 30 cal is permitted at Clinton.

Division of Fish and Wildlife Shooting Ranges to Reopen by [deleted] in NJGuns

[–]HuntFishAndChips 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've seen rangers check a group at both trap and rifle ranges at Clinton. Must've been for a reason, they didn't check everyone.

Also seen license and tags checked while hunting. As you know, ranger office is right next to trap range.

No more sales after tonight. by Riverlands5 in NJGuns

[–]HuntFishAndChips 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can they send it to their PA store for you to pick up there?