Keep county's public lands in the public's hands
By Dave Somers and Nate Nehring / For The Herald
Last week, we sent a letter to Snohomish County’s congressional delegation, expressing our strong opposition to any proposal to sell federal National Forest or Bureau of Land Management lands. Snohomish County has significant federal lands, and they should not be sold to the highest bidder. Thankfully, these proposals were pulled from Senate consideration at the last minute from the tax policy bill that was under final consideration in the House. However, the threat of public lands sales still looms.
Legislation was initially proposed in both the U.S. House and Senate to sell off National Forest and BLM lands as part of that package. This would include significant portions of Snohomish County, potentially devastating our local economy and breaking with generations of precedent about the use of federal lands. Also, the one-time resources that would be earned through the sale of these lands would in no way compensate for the loss of productive forestland and significant recreational enterprises that provide jobs across Washington and other western states.
We are concerned that this proposal may come back in another form. In the strongest possible terms, we want to express our opposition to any proposal that sells National Forest or BLM lands, and we urge everyone to express your opposition to this bad idea ever becoming law.
Snohomish County is the economic engine of Washington state, with significant aerospace, tourism, agriculture and advanced manufacturing sectors. One of the most important reasons that companies either move or stay here is the abundant natural beauty of our national lands. We also have rural communities that depend on timber and tourism. Both of these industries are sustainable and allow people to pursue their American dream of financial independence. With the loss and development of national lands, we would see both industries collapse.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-keep-countys-public-lands-in-the-publics-hands/