Scott Streater

Democrats on the Joint Economic Committee are urging Congress to "resist" efforts by the Trump administration to shrink public lands and instead get behind legislation to increase access and economic opportunities on these lands and improve the lives of rural Americans.

The report, titled "Investing in Rural America," focuses on the overall economic state of rural communities but includes a detailed section on the importance of public lands to the residents in these areas.

Basically, federal lands are an "economic driver" for rural communities, helping provide jobs as well as money to local businesses from thousands of tourists visiting these sites each year, the report says.

That's why the Trump administration should abandon efforts to shrink national monuments and cut funding for public lands, according to the report, which was spearheaded by Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, the Joint Economic Committee's ranking Democrat.

"The overall economic picture for rural communities remains challenging for multiple reasons," Heinrich wrote in an introduction to the report. "Expanding economic opportunities for rural Americans is vital to the livelihood of these communities and the future of our country as a whole."

Though the report is very critical of the Trump administration and congressional Republicans, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke on his first full day in office signed a secretarial order designed to expand access to public lands (E&E News PM, March 2, 2017).

And Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairwoman Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) last year sponsored a sportsmen's bill that would enhance public lands by making them open to "fishing, hunting, recreational shooting, and other outdoor activities" unless these activities are specifically closed at individual sites, the report says.

The report recommends approving Murkowski's bill, S. 733, which was first introduced in March 2017 and enjoys broad bipartisan support.

"The bill both prioritizes rural economic needs and protects our public lands for future generations," it says.

Though the legislation has yet to be voted on, portions of it were included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act for 2018. Approving "the remainder would be a step forward for rural economies," the report says.

So would approving S. 282, the "Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act," sponsored by Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), it adds.

The bill would make it easier to develop solar, wind and geothermal power projects on federal lands across the West by streamlining the permitting process. Doing so would "open up clean energy opportunities for rural communities on public lands," the report says.

Among its co-sponsors are Heinrich and fellow Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Michael Bennet of Colorado and Tom Udall of New Mexico.

The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable praised the report.

"Outdoor recreation access is critical to reenergizing the economy in rural communities in the decades ahead," Thom Dammrich, ORR chair and president of the National Marine Manufacturers Association, said in a statement.

"Our industry already comprises 2 percent of U.S. GDP, and commonsense outdoor recreation policies will lead to even greater economic and job growth for rural America," he added.

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