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This Week's Challenge:
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- Teach others about why the TPLA is critical right now.
- Contact your elected officials and encourage them to continue to support the Transfer of Public Lands.
- Go to our webpage to discover the facts about whether the states or the federal government manages public lands more effectively.
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 | | Four "Why's"-- Ken Ivory (American Lands Council) |
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Did You Know?
Many claim that states can't effectively manage their own lands. Visit this webpage to learn the truth.
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Greetings!
On June 4, 2013, Governor Brian Sandoval signed into law AB227 Nevada Land Management Task Force, making Nevada the fifth western state to actively explore the transfer of public lands to western states. The federal government still controls more than 50% of all lands in the West. It controls less than five percent of the lands in Hawaii and all states east of Colorado. Governor Sandoval commented, "This is a great bill. I'm really happy to sign it." Some say that western states gave up ("forever disclaimed") their lands at statehood. This doesn't make sense! The statehood contracts ("enabling acts") with respect to the transfer of public lands are largely the same for states east and west of Colorado. |
Here is a side-by-side comparison of the enabling acts of Nevada vs. Nebraska. The enabling acts of other western states are nearly identical. The federal government's performance IS NOT!
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Nebraska
Enabling Act, April 19, 1864
22% Federally Controlled in 1896
1% Federally Controlled Today
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Nevada
Enabling Act, March 21, 1864
86% Federally Controlled in 1896
81% Federally Controlled Today
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"Provided, That the constitution when formed shall be republican, and not repugnant to the constitution of the United States and the principles of the Declaration of Independence; And provided further, That said constitution shall provide, by an article forever irrevocable, without the consent of the Congress of the United States:" Section 4, Preamble, Nebraska Enabling Act, April 19, 1864
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"Provided, That the constitution when formed shall be republican, and not repugnant to the constitution of the United States and the principles of the Declaration of Independence; And provided further, That said constitution shall provide, by an ordinance irrevocable, without the consent of the Congress of the United States and the people of said state:" Section 4, Preamble, Nevada Enabling Act, March 21, 1864
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"That the people inhabiting said territory do agree and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within said territory, and that the same shall be and remain at the sole and entire disposition of the United States, and that ... no taxes shall be imposed by said state on lands or property therein belonging to or which may hereafter be purchased by the United States." Section 5, Third, Nebraska Enabling Act, April 19, 1864
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"That the people inhabiting said territory do agree and declare that they forever disclaim all right and title to the unappropriated public lands lying within said territory, and that the same shall be and remain at the sole and entire disposition of the United States, and that ... no taxes shall be imposed by said state on lands or property therein belonging to or which may hereafter be purchased by, the United States." Section 5, Third, Nevada Enabling Act, March 21, 1864
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"... declaring the state admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original states, without any further action whatever on the part of congress." Section 5, Nebraska Enabling Act, April 19, 1864
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"... declaring the state admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original states, without any further action whatever on the part of congress." Section 5, Nevada Enabling Act, March 21, 1864 (See also, Section 1)
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"That sections numbered sixteen and thirty-six in every township, and when such section have been sold or otherwise disposed of by any act of congress, other lands equivalent thereto ... shall be, and are hereby, granted to said state for the support of common schools." Section 7, Nebraska Enabling Act, April 19, 1864
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"That sections numbered sixteen and thirty-six in every township, and where such sections have been sold or otherwise disposed of by any act of congress, other lands equivalent thereto ... shall be, and are hereby, granted to said state for the support of common schools." Section 7, Nevada Enabling Act, March 21, 1864
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"That five per centum of the proceeds of the sales of all public lands lying within said state, which have been or shall be sold by the United States prior or subsequent to the admission of said state into the Union, after deducting all expenses incident to the same, shall be paid to the said state for the support of common schools." Section 12, Nebraska Enabling Act, April 19, 1864
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"That five per centum of the proceeds of the sales of all public lands lying within said state, which shall be sold by the United States subsequent to the admission of said state into the Union, after deducting all expenses incident to the same, shall be paid to the said state for the purpose of making and improving public roads, constructing ditches or canals, to effect a general system of irrigation of the agricultural land in the state, as the legislature shall direct." Section 12, Nevada Enabling Act, March 21, 1864
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It is important that we continue to tell our elected officials that we are expecting them to be the champions of our public lands. We need them to stand up and leverage their power to compel Congress to honor the promise it made to the western states, just as it did with Hawaii and all states east of Colorado.
Please spend 5 minutes right now and call or write to your local, state and national representatives and encourage them to support the implementation of AB227 and to do all in their power to compel Congress to honor to Nevada the same statehood promise it made and kept with Hawaii and all states east of Colorado to transfer title the the public lands.(http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml)
There is no time to waste. We must stand together, and we must do it now. Please join with us!
Ken Ivory
ALC President
P.S. Click here to discover how you can stand with the American Lands Council, and help this work move forward.
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