After a massive backlash, a Republican yanks his bill to sell off public lands

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After a massive backlash, a Republican yanks his bill to sell off public lands

In January, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) introduced a bill in the House that would direct the Bureau of Land Management to sell off 3.3 million acres of federally owned lands — an area the size of Connecticut.

But this week, Chaffetz decided to yank the bill after a fierce backlash from hunters, sportsmen, and conservationists on both the left and the right. Privatizing public land, it turns out, is a lot harder than it sounds.

Chaffetz announced on Instagram that he was pulling the bill, HR 621, saying, “I'm a proud gun owner, hunter and love our public lands.” He insisted that the lands he wanted the government to sell off are “serving no public purpose,” but that “groups I support and care about fear [the bill] sends the wrong message.”

http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/2/2/14479462/chaffetz-public-lands-backlash