For
over a hundred years, conservation has been a value held in high regard
by a majority of Americans. But if Republicans have their way, all the
lands we have fought to protect as National Parks will be handed over to
private industry.
Last month, nearly every Republican in the US
Senate voted on a budget amendment allowing states to seize public
lands, which means every National Park
in the country would be subject to the whims of state lawmakers who
could authorize the selling of these lands to private industries for
exploitation.
And by exploitation, that means deforestation of
lumber resources, the privatization of freshwater sources, drilling and
mining for oil and minerals, or used as dumping grounds for hazardous
materials. In short, Republicans would be allowing private industries to
buy and rape our public land reserves until they are unrecognizable.
The amendment, known as SA 838, was introduced
by Alaska GOP Senator Lisa Murkowski. And it sailed through the Senate
by a 51-49 vote with all but three Republicans in favor while every
Democrat voted against it. A rival bill that would stop the effort to
sell public lands was prevented from coming up for a vote.
Of course, Murkowski spun the amendment as a way to improve conservation.
“When we have an opportunity to consider this
amendment, a vote for it is really a vote in support of — as a priority
of this Congress — comprehensive approaches to land policies to
facilitate economic development, empower States and improve our
conservation systems,” she said.
Here’s a handy image via Gizmodo listing the Senators who voted for and against the amendment.
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