Legislators worked hard to protect property rights

I am writing this in response to Miss Sandy Patano who represents the North Idaho Political Action Committee (NIPAC) and her last 1/2 page guest opinion titled “Some legislators threatened your private property rights.” She apparently misunderstood the policy goals of the majority of us incumbent legislators from North Idaho and why we were co-sponsors of HB586. I am and have always been pro-private property rights. I was raised on a large farm 65 miles south of here. I have owned property in North Idaho since 1970: a trailer park and marina on Lake Pend Oreille for four years; I was a real estate broker, builder and developer for 12 years; and for the last 25 years I have owned income property in North Idaho. My home on acreage is located near Athol. I am a member and contributor to the Northwest Property Owners Association.

Miss Patano expressed we were negative to private property by sponsoring House Bill 586. The “Stated Purpose” of HB 586 answers the question of why we were sponsors. HB586 reads: “This legislation withdraws any past consent granted by the Idaho Legislature for the federal government to acquire any additional lands within the State of Idaho in the future. Pursuant to Article I, Section 8, paragraph 17 of the United States Constitution, no additional land may be acquired within the borders of Idaho by any federal agency unless consented to by a future act of the Legislature of the State of Idaho. This legislation withdraws any past consent granted by the Idaho Legislature for the federal government to acquire any additional lands within the State of Idaho in the future. Pursuant to Article I, Section 8, paragraph 17 of the United States Constitution, no additional land may be acquired within the borders of Idaho by any federal agency unless consented to by a future act of the Legislature of the State of Idaho.”

The state public land transfer is another area of disagreement with Miss Patano. Few disagree the federal government poorly manages their public land which is 61.7 percent of our Idaho lands. A 2013 analysis of the 32,635,835 acres 61.7 percent owned by the federal government in Idaho compared to the 2,446,651 acres of Idaho State Land: $68,046,153 in direct federal land payments (PILT) to Idaho came out to $2.09 per acre in federal revenue to state and local communities; whereas the State Endowment Land annual distributions to State beneficiaries (largely our schools) was $51,676,270 or $21.12 per acre in revenue to the beneficiaries. The average cost of timber management from 2009-2013: the U.S. Forest Service revenue per dollar spent was 32 cents or net revenue of minus $148.96 per mbft sold; whereas the Idaho State Land was $2.82 revenue per dollar spent for plus $126.13 net revenue per mbft sold. The more recent revenue distributions by the Idaho State Lands have increased; whereas the federal land revenue has decreased.

The states in the West have trillions of dollars in abundant mineral resources. Yet these states are perpetually among the last in the nation in per-pupil funding for education. This is because under federal control, access has been greatly denied for the multiple uses of our public lands. Responsibly utilizing these resources will grow the economy and the tax base providing the revenues needed to close the education funding-gap and to fund essential government services. With the reduced budget and poor management from Washington, D.C., our federal public lands incurred multiple devastating wild fires this last year. Now due to ongoing litigation by radical conservationists along with the multiple federal agencies and their bureaucracy, our federal forests have not been accessible for timber harvest of the remaining trees in the burned areas and those trees are soon to become insect and disease infected. The Idaho State Lands were immediately opened for harvest of trees in the burned areas to save revenue. We know there would have been fewer fires with proper local and state management of our federal lands.

The last two years on my own dollar I attended legislator conferences in Utah with the American Lands Council. The western states and our key public policy objectives: 1) Federal public lands shall become state public lands to be managed in accordance with state and local plans. 2) Provide state, local and tribal government with adequate wildfire prevention and control resources and develop interstate/interagency cooperative agreements necessary to combat wildfires effectively. 3) Increase local involvement and accountability by insuring state-based public land management activities are consistent with local government plans, policies, and objectives. 4) Protect all valid existing rights and multiple uses, and enhance the viability of compatible, land-based livelihoods. 5) Preserve and protect important wild, scenic, cultural and economic resources. National Parks remain National Parks and designated wilderness will remain wild — not sought in the transfer. Miss Patano mentioned the University of Idaho’s one semester study and the conclusion of their study regarding the transfer of the federal public lands. I would recommend readers visit www.americanlandcouncil.org for a review of the 18-month $450,000 study by three Universities in Utah and their positive conclusion about the transfer of Utah’s 65 percent federal lands, similar to Idaho’s 61.7 percent. I don’t have enough space to discuss the “Equal Sovereignty Principle and the Equal Footing Doctrine” setting out the legal brief why we have the legal right for the transfer of the 61.7 percent of federal public lands to the state of Idaho for the benefit of Idahoans and our local communities. All states east of Colorado have less than 5 percent of their lands in Federal public control.

Lastly, NIPAC being a Republican Political Action Committee should be aware of our Idaho Republican Platform and the Republican National Committee Resolution adopted Dec. 18, 2013. Both call for state and national leaders to exert their utmost power to urge the imminent transfer of public lands for the benefit of the western states. Seventeen states have already passed bills for that conclusion.

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Eric Redman is a representative for District 2 in the Idaho Legislature.