There really isn’t a robust argument for selling public lands. The people in favor of it are your average anti-government folks who only know they hate the government and don’t like being told how to behave on public lands. The government doesn’t exactly “own” the land, they simply manage it for the best outcomes considering competing interests. And the management plans are written by local agency employees who are familiar with local interests and consider public input, not Washington. When resource extraction is permitted on public land, the government only takes small administrative fees for permitting, and none of the profits. These points are always lost on the anti-government contingency. The only reason congress occasionally introduces bills to sell off land is to garner support from their district. Chaffetz recently had a reality check when it became apparent his district was not particularly in favor of it.
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