Oppose making the federal land bureaucracy permanent

This week, the Senate is considering the Energy Policy Modernization Act  (S. 2012). This act “modernizes” energy policy via new “voluntary” energy efficient building codes and energy efficiency grant programs. It even creates a federal job training program.

The most troubling aspect of this bill is that it permanently extends the Land and Water Conservation Fund. This fund uses federal taxpayers dollars to buy land for the federal government.

At a time of skyrocketing federal debt, Congress should be debating legislation to sell off federal lands and use the proceeds to either retire the debt or help fund other federal obligations as part of transitioning them to the states and private sector. The Senate should certainly not create permanent authority to socialize more land.

The federal government already owns more than 50% of the land in many western states. Federal land ownership is a source of conflict between citizens and the federal government.

Campaign for Liberty members who don’t want the federal government to interfere in the energy markets or create a permanent bureaucracy devoted to putting more land under federal control should call their Senators and tell them to oppose S. 2012.