This email contains six attachments that will walk you through the steps. Take them one at a time, but start today.
- White Paper - I remember the day Ken came home very excited about this "White Paper". I must admit, my first response was "White paper? Isn't most paper white?" Needless to say, I had no idea what he was talking about. I soon learned that a White Paper is "a government or other authoritative report giving information or proposals on an issue." (See? Even blondes can learn.)
The first attachment is a 29 page White Paper written by Donald J. Kochan, a Professor of Law at Chapman University School of Law entitled, "A Legal Overview of Utah's H.B. 148-The Transfer of Public Lands Act". This White Paper establishes the constitutional, legal and historical basis for the TPLA, and Utah's right (and the federal government's obligation) to have the federal government honor the promises it made in our Enabling Act. It also annihilates the "it's clearly unconstitutional" argument. READ IT. And pass it along.
2. For those of you who read the Cliff Notes in high school (Guilty as charged.... Sorry Mrs. Hess...), the second attachment is the Executive Summary of the White Paper, prepared by the American Lands Council (ALC). It is only 6 pages and won't take you much more time than making a sandwich.
3. The third set of attachments contains examples of Resolutions that have been sent by various cities, counties, chambers, or other organizations, encouraging local and state leaders to pass and implement the TPLA in their state. Since many of these have been sent, we are including three that can be altered for just about any group. If you want more ideas, email me and I'll send you more. Here are links to the resolutions by Ruidoso, NM, the Western Growth Coalition, and a generic version for organizations in Utah.
4. Another great way you can leverage your influence is by writing an op-ed for your local newspaper or online media resource. You can also get prominent business, community and civic leaders to do the same from the perspective of how it affects your state and their particular interest in the state. These can be very powerful, as these examples from Idaho Commissioner Jim Chmelik and Overstock.com President Jonathan Johnson show. See here and here.
5. One concern people may have before they are really educated about the TPLA is how the states will manage our natural resources compared to the federal government. This attachment, "Turning a Profit on Public Forests", is just one example of how states can, and already do, manage public lands more efficiently and conscientiously than a budget-strapped, distant federal bureaucracy.
6. Last, but not least, we are attaching a sample Thank You Card used in Utah, (also available online) intended to be sent to the Governor, thanking him for standing up for Utah's children and Utah's future in securing to Utah the same promise that was made and kept with all states east of Colorado. Obviously, you can tailor this card for your elected officials...really, to anyone on the front lines of this important issue.
And there you have it. This is what you can do. If you're saying to yourself, "Sorry I asked...", don't. These six steps are far easier than they look, and truly are potent tools to leveraging your power and influence. We can do this. But we cannot do this alone. You are an important part of this crusade. And we, at the American Lands Council, are grateful for you.
