Another abysmal idea for our federal lands is coming out of Utah, with a bill (H.R. 622) by Rep. Jason Chaffetz that would strip federal US Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) law officers of their authority to protect public lands and public safety. In addition to firing hundreds of officers, the bill would force the federal government to give money to local counties to pay for local sheriffs to patrol public lands.
“It’s time to get rid of the BLM and US Forest Service police,” Chaffetz said in releasing the bill.
We couldn’t disagree more. Last year’s occupation of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge by a group of armed extremists illustrates how much we need law enforcement on federal lands. The officers and investigators that patrol our public lands help protect the resources and defend public safety. In addition to regular law enforcement activities, they address threats unique to the natural lands they protect – everything from wildfire investigations to the theft of archeological resources – and they receive extensive training to do so, above and beyond other law enforcement authorities.
We shouldn’t be surprised to see this latest attack by Rep. Chaffetz on our public land: he also just introduced a bill to begin a large-scale sell off of our national lands, starting with more than three million acres throughout the West. However, we’re shocked that he would push his bitter agenda by going after law enforcement officers.
Federal officers put their lives on the line to protect our public lands. They deserve respect for the difficult work they do, especially in the face of continued budget cuts coming from politicians like Rep. Chaffetz.
