Keeping Public Lands in Public Hands: Rally Wednesday at Roundhouse
Suzanne Potter, Producer
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
SANTA FE, N.M. – Hundreds of supporters of keeping public lands in public hands are gathering for their third annual rally at the Roundhouse tomorrow at 11 A.M. They are protesting moves at the state and national level to transfer federal lands to the states.
Susan Torres, the communications director of the New Mexico Wildlife Federation says this hot-button issue is getting some traction now that Republicans control both Congress and the White House.
"Public-land seizure is in the official GOP platform, so it seems to be gaining momentum," she said. "We're really against that because selling off our public lands can mean that it goes to a private interest and then the public can't access them anymore."
Advocates of public-land transfer argue that states should have more say over the fate of land within their borders. However, several bills have failed in the state Legislature over the past few years.
Nonetheless, Public Lands Commissioner Aubrey Dunn recently introduced a bill advocating the transfer of federal mineral rights to the state.
President Trump has come out against public-lands transfer. But Garrett VeneKlausen, executive director of the federation, says he's worried the president will change his position.
"We've already seen legislation trying to get land transfer to the states introduced into Congress," he said. "Without his veto power, we could literally lose a significant portion of our public lands in this administration. It is a dire threat right now."
In 2016, several counties passed resolutions to keep public lands under federal control, including Santa Fe, San Miguel, Bernalillo and Taos counties. This year supporters are hoping the city of Albuquerque will do the same.
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