Interesting case out of Utah. The federal government owns 60% of Utah. The state is going to court, declaring imminent domain to get back some of the land, including a coal-rich plateau; they intend to sell coal rights to fund education. It’s probably a hopeless battle, but I’m cheering them on. Because, why does the federal government need to own 60% of Utah?
Or, for that matter:
- 85% of Nevada
- 70% of Alaska
- 53% of Oregon
- 50% of Idaho
- 48% of Arizona
- 45% of California
- 42% of Wyoming and New Mexico
Meanwhile, the feds own less than 1% of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and New York.
I know that big chunks of Arizona are actually Indian reservations, and that comes under the “federal” heading, which skews it. I imagine the same is true of many of these other western states. Then there are military bases, testing grounds, national parks, and areas leased for forestry and mining. But still, there’s a states’ rights issue here, with land and local economies in need of development.
So…Go Utah!
