[Editor's Note: Posted with permission from ?http://www.liberato.us/property-rights-report-2407.html ?]

July 2024

Rogue Forest Service Attempting to Ignore Congressional Mandates

The U.S. Forest Service is proposing amendments that call for managing all 127 national forests to "maximize mature and old growth trees." This conflicts with the Congressional mandate to "[secure] favorable conditions of water flows, and to furnish a continuous supply of timber." (16 U.S. Code ? 475). ? In addition to flouting land use law, the Forest Service also shirked its legal duty to coordinate and cooperate with state and local governments prior to the proposed changes. Past old growth protection has led to massive decreases in timber harvest, forest thinning, and increases in catastrophic fires and insect and disease infestations.

The Forest Service has ?released ?a draft environmental impact statement and is seeking public comment.

The states and local governments argue that the proposed amendments will:

• Prohibit commercial timber harvest.
• Incorporate Indigenous Knowledge to inform and planning and decision-making without congressional authorization
• Harm forest ecosystems, resident species, and water quality.
• Violate federal statutes and regulations.
• Increase catastrophic fires and actually kill off mature and old growth forests.
• Create another layer of de facto wilderness (i.e., this is another attempted federal land lock-up)

Fish and Wildlife Service Plan Is a 700,000 Acre Land Grab

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a ?final land protection plan ?which imposes additional restrictions on 700,000 acres of wildlife habitat in the Southern High Plains region along the Texas-New Mexico border as part of the ?Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge. Within this new limited acquisition boundary, the Service would work with misinformed land owners to expand conservation through fee title and easement acquisitions.

Investment in, and expansion of, the National Wildlife Refuge System furthers the Biden-Harris administration’s drive to restrict land use through the ?America the Beautiful ?initiative. Under Secretary Haaland, the Department has also ?established ?four new Refuges.

Bullets from ?American Stewards of Liberty Alert:

• Muleshoe National Wildlife Refuge is attempting to expand the acquisition boundary from 6,440 acres to ?7,000,000 in TX and NM ?without Congressional authorization.
• From within this area, they are planning to add 700,000 acres to the Refuge by directly buying private property or acquiring permanent conservation easements.
• Federally acquiring nearly three-quarter million acres ?from this region is a direct attack on the oil, gas and mineral industries, agriculture production, and local economies.
• The Biden Administration has targeted this region for permanent protection as a part of their unauthorized ?30×30 land grab ?(a.k.a "America the Beautiful"). They listed the Lesser prairie chicken and Dune sagebrush lizard as endangered to restrict land uses, and now are attempting to physically acquire this resource-rich land.
• The President can withdraw any federal lands to create a National Monument ?with the stroke of a pen. ? ?If they acquire an additional 700,000 acres in this region, it will be ripe for Monument designation and further restrictions.
• The USFWS failed to consider the economic impact ?on the local communities and the States once 700,000 acres of private land are removed from the tax rolls, and taken out of production.
• No direct notice was given to the counties ?or other local governing authorities. No direct notice was given to the landowners. The USFWS failed to coordinate this plan with the local governments as required by law.
• Even though this is a major federal action that will significantly impact the human environment, the USFWS advanced an insufficient Environmental Assessment with plans to issue a "Finding of No Significant Impact" ?in violation of NEPA.
• The National Wildlife System recently finalized a series of new internal policies that allow for the creation of "Land Protection Plans" to expand authorized acquisition areas. ? ?Historically, it has been Congress that has defined these boundaries.

The new policy circumvents Congressional power.

New Endangered Species: Private Property Rights

States and Federal governments own millions of acres of land and millions of acres are controlled under conservation easements. Environmental organizations that include land trusts claim that this public ownership and control of lands has immense benefits to the bordering private lands.

Government-owned and controlled lands are often mismanaged and restrict access to resources and recreational use. Rural residents suffer through months of smoke and fire-evacuated communities, which results in loss of life, businesses, and homes. Compensation for losses is rare.

• Nearly 40% of the United States is owned by federal, state, or local governments. This amounts to eight hundred and twenty-eight million acres.
• Another forty million acres are in private conservation easements with five million acres enrolled in USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) conservation easements.
• The Land and Water Conservation Fund ?was created by Congress in 1965. It provides 900 million dollars per year for funds and matching grants to federal, state, and local governments for the acquisition of land and water, and easements on land and water.
• The imposition of conservation easements permanently forecloses potential beneficial land uses for future generations.
• House Bill 7408 ?is being considered by Congress to provide 300 million dollars per year for fiscal years 2025 through 2029 to non-governmental organizations, state, tribal and local governments to purchase land and conservation easements.

More Information:

"Land under a conservation easement is no longer Private Property"

-from:

Conservation Easement or Servitude? - 13 Key Points Landowners Should Know About Conservation Easements

American Stewards of Liberty

Lock-Upalooza

Biden administration locks up more land, ?nixes new road ?in Alaska that would have brought mining, drilling, and good-paying jobs to the area

A lock-up by any other name is still a lock-up -

New state program aims to put 500,000 acres of Montana prairie under conservation leases

• From a Montana resident: "Oh, they say they will maintain traditional agriculture practices. So, who are they protecting the land from, since there is almost nothing but agricultural producers in eastern Montana. This is being done by a Republican-controlled state government who came out strongly against the Biden 30x30 agenda, and then turned around and implemented the program."

Utah and Wyoming sue to stop Biden administration ?Conservation and Landscape Health rule ?which puts conservation front and center to the detriment of congressionally-mandated land uses

Antiquities Act abuse stops economic activity and ?mauls ?local residents - No More Lock-Ups!

Solve the housing crisis by selling government land ?- "The federal government ?owns ?ONE-THIRD of the country; it has plenty to spare!"

Another Assault on Private Property

Report: NAC is back - SEC to promulgate ?natural asset company ?rule in November to allow corrupt actors like Communist China to own ecosystem rights to U.S. land, water, and air

Bringing the Climate Crazy

California continues ?forcing ?its radical climate agenda on the country with new locomotive rule

Angry German Farmers Win a Street Fight Over Climate

[Editor’s Note - A lot of land use policy is currently being driven by the climate hoax.]

When Germany's constitutional court enforced the country's balanced budget requirement, the government could no longer hide the 60 billion Euro cost of its "net zero" policies, 30 billion of which had to be paid in this year's budget. ? Berlin’s solution was to cut diesel fuel subsidies, negatively affecting farmers and airlines. ?

With farm tractors blocking highways and town squares all over Germany, it became obvious that ?German farmers did not expect to pay for the "net zero" fantasy of politicians. ?

And they won't, because their protest forced the legislature to reinstate diesel subsidies for the time being.

The lessons of the German farmers' protest resonated all over Europe.

• a carbon tax might win support from a majority of elected officials, but it probably won't survive in the theater of public opinion.
• if everyone who is negatively affected by the costs of net zero starts taking to the streets, the net-zero fantasy of politicians will come to a precipitous stop
• politicians apparently can’t tolerate an honest discussion of climate policy, which means there will be a dishonest climate policy until the people decide they don't want any climate policy at all
• if you want to stage a successful peasant protest, be sure to bring a tractor.