DENVER, Colo. October 3, 2016 – The Associated Press reported that the Western Conference of Attorneys General has issued an analysis rejecting claims made by leading opponents of U.S. public lands that the U.S. government has no right to hold national forests, wildlife refuges, national monuments, and other public lands in trust for all Americans.
Utah is currently in the process of planning a $14 million dollar lawsuit against the U.S. government for control over public lands; other Western states have flirted with the idea of joining Utah, but none have followed suit. By a vote of 11 to 1, the bipartisan group of Western Attorneys General adopted the analysis undermining Utah’s legal case.
The Center for Western Priorities issued the following statement from deputy director Greg Zimmerman:
“For too long our leading legal experts, namely our Attorneys General, have stayed silent on efforts to force the seizure of U.S. public lands. It’s long past due for Western AGs to use their platform and their legal expertise to put this ill-conceived idea to rest before another taxpayer penny is wasted.”
READ MORE
- New Analysis: Outside of Utah, Efforts to Seize American Public Lands Stall as Politicians Pay a Price
- Website: Our American Public Lands
For more information, visit westernpriorities.org.