Selling our Land

from the Press Democrat, 9/7:

Selling our land
EDITOR: I am in complete agreement with columnist Nicholas Kristof about the enormous value of our wilderness and public lands (“Ah, wilderness: This land is your land,” Tuesday), but I am afraid he is unaware that our commons is under eminent threat of being sold off to the highest bidder, likely for extractive purposes.
In April, Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, introduced HR 1931, the American Land Act, perhaps more appropriately named the Anti-American Land Act. This bill would require the Bureau of Land Management and the National Forest Service to open about a third of its land over five years for sale to private entities.
The federal government owns 27 percent (640 million acres) of the land in the United States. The proceeds from the sales would be directly deposited into the Highway Trust Fund, making an investment in transportation infrastructure.
If passed, we twould forever lose millions of acres of our public lands for more pavement. Please contact Rep. Mike Thompson and express your outrage over HR 1931.
SANDRA VANVOORHIS
Santa Rosa