| Public Lands for the Public Good Collaborative conservation represents the future for the 657 million acres of America we call the "Public Lands." Working from the grass roots up,
local groups are finding solutions for the problems of the public lands in their
areas. Republicans want to encourage
that approach, for it holds the greatest promise of sound environmental
stewardship and productive use of the nation's natural resources. We will change the operating culture of the
federal agencies that manage public lands, giving a greater role to states and
to their political subdivisions in order to foster a creative partnership with
the American people. As a sign of that
partnership, we applaud Governor Bush's intention to make all federal facilities
comply with the environmental laws by which the American people live.
If there had been any doubt that major
reform is needed in the management of public lands, it was burnt away in the
catastrophic wildfires of recent months.
This avoidable devastation was the price innocent people and helpless
communities paid for the extreme policies — and environmental arrogance — of the
current administration. Greater
tragedies await the people of our Western States if those policies are not
changed. Republicans will employ the
best techniques of forestry science to implement a national management strategy
for public lands that minimizes the risk to local communities while preserving
our natural heritage.
Our national parks are the crown
jewels of the country's environmental heritage. They belong to all Americans and should be
accessible to all. Congressional
Republicans have taken the lead in reversing years of neglect and abuse of these
treasures, and we will continue that proactive agenda to keep the park system
healthy and accessible to all. We should
make it a priority to alleviate the maintenance and operations backlog at our
national parks. Rather than adding to
this magnificent legacy by unilateral executive branch action, such as the
administration's recent National Monument designations, we will seek to actively
involve Congress, as well as affected states and local communities, in land
acquisition decisions.
We support multiple use of public
lands conducted in an environmentally and economically sustainable manner. We are committed to preserving high priority
wilderness and wetlands. The Everglades
are a crucial example of a special federal responsibility. We call for a review of lands owned by the
national government — half the total territory of our Western States — to
develop a comprehensive plan to better manage existing holdings. In some cases, that may mean transferring or
sharing responsibility for managing those lands with state or local governments,
while all levels of government should recognize existing rights to water,
minerals, and grazing. We reaffirm the
traditional state primacy over water allocations and will continue the
availability of renewable rangeland under conditions that ensure both expanded
production of livestock and protection of the range environment. We also reaffirm our commitment to preserve
access to public lands for multiple use.
We recognize the vital role the timber
industry plays in our economy, particularly in homebuilding, and we support its
efforts to improve the health of the country's forests. Because so many people in rural America rely
on public forests for their livelihood, a Republican administration will promote
sustainable forest management, using the best science in place of the no-growth
policies that have devastated communities in the Pacific Northwest and
Alaska.
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Protecting public lands. We will use our natural resources to fuel our economy, but end
Republican giveaways to special interests that exploit public lands without regard for
environmental consequences. We will require companies to restore leased lands to their original
state after their work is done. And we will make sure our government treats our national parks
with the same respect and care that millions of families show each year when they visit.
Honoring our hunting and fishing heritage. We are committed to protecting the lands used by
hunters and anglers, and we will open millions of new acres of land to public hunting and fishing.
We will conserve and restore the habitats where wildlife flourish, expanding use of voluntary,
incentive-based programs that target private landowners. |
| Resource UseThe Issue: We oppose government control of resource use through eminent domain, zoning laws, building codes, rent control, regional planning, urban renewal, or purchase of development rights with tax money. Such regulations and programs violate property
rights, discriminate against minorities, create housing shortages, and
tend to cause higher rents. All government restrictions upon private use
or voluntary transfer of water rights or similar despotic controls can
only aggravate the misallocation of water. Forced surface-mining of
privately homesteaded lands, in which the government has reserved
surface mining rights for itself, is a violation of the rights of the
present landholders.
The Principle: Resource management is
properly the responsibility and right of the legitimate owners of land,
water and other natural resources. We recognize the legitimacy of
resource planning by means of private, voluntary covenants.
Solutions: We advocate the establishment of an efficient
and just system of private water rights applied to all bodies of water,
surface and underground. Such a system should be built upon a doctrine
of first claim and use. The allocation of water should be governed by
unrestricted competition and unregulated prices. We also advocate the
privatization of government and quasi-government water supply systems.
Only the complete separation of water and the State will prevent future
water crises. We call for the homesteading or other just transfer to
private ownership of federally held lands.
Transitional
Action: The construction of government dams and other water projects
should cease, and existing government water projects should be
transferred to private ownership. We favor the abolition of the Bureau
of Reclamation and the Army Corps of Engineers' civilian functions. We
also favor the abolition of all local water districts and their power to
tax. We oppose any use of executive orders invoking the Antiquities Act
to set aside public lands. We call for the abolition of the Bureau of
Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. We oppose creation of new
government parks or wilderness and recreation areas. Such parks and
areas that already exist should be transferred to non-government
ownership. Pending such just transfer, their operating costs should be
borne by their users rather than by taxpayers.
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