Govs. Fear Sale of Public Lands for Mining

WASHINGTON - Six Western governors and a growing number of senators say they fear a plan in a budget bill allowing the sale of millions of acres of public lands could do permanent harm to their states.

"It's got implications for hunters, sportsmen, people who use lands for grazing and basically anybody who uses public lands," said Angela de Rocha, a spokeswoman for Wayne Allard of Colorado, one of a handful of Western GOP senators who say they are concerned about the proposal.

House lawmakers added the provision, which ends an 11-year congressional ban on new applications to buy public land for mining, to their budget bill on the Friday before Thanksgiving.

Supporters say it would help struggling communities recover after mines close. But opponents argue it amounts to a fire sale on federal lands, including wilderness study areas and national parks. The Interior Department says the plan could affect up to 20 million acres, while environmentalists say it could allow the government to sell 350 million acres.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/selling_mining_lands

Hell must really be freezing over!

Everything of value in the US is either being destroyed or sold off by these repukes.

Democrats should make this a big issue. Americans do not want their National Parks sold off to private business for pennies on the dollar.

Democrats should threaten to block all Senate business unless this is thrown out by the GOP.

Democrats need to take issue where we are clearly in the right and pick a public fight over the issue. Make news where we are the ones standing up for the American people and show the people how corrupt the GOP is.

Democrats need wedge issues before the 2006 and 2008 elections and we couldn't find an easier one to win if we tried than this.

Democrats need to pick some fights starting with this one.

is not on the list of western governors who are concerned.