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Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House Republicans push to sell hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in the West
Matthew Daly and Matthew BrownAssociated PressWASHINGTON — House Republicans added a provision to their sweeping tax cut package authorizing sales of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah, prompting outrage from Democrats and environmentalists who called it a betrayal that could lead to drilling, mining and logging in sensitive on the House Natural Resources Committee adopted the land sales proposal early Wednesday morning. The initial draft had not included it amid bipartisan land sale provision was put forward by Republican Reps. Mark Amodei of Nevada and Celeste Maloy of parcels could be used for economic development, mining and infrastructure projects such as the expansion of an airport and a reservoir in Utah, according to local officials and plans for the sites would be considered for affordable housing, which is much needed in fast-growing parts of sites include up to 200,000 acres in Clark County Nevada, which includes Las Vegas, according to Nevada Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto. That's less than 1 percent of more than 50 million acres of federal land overall in the included is land in Pershing County, Nevada, where Amodei has advocated for selling or exchanging about 350,000 acres of public lands and allowing sales to mining Masto in a statement called it "a land grab to fund Republicans' billionaire giveaway tax bill.""In the dead of night, Representative Mark Amodei pushed House Republicans to move forward with an insane plan that cuts funding from water conservation and public schools across Nevada," she parcels in Utah would be sold at fair market value to local governments and make up only a third of 1 percent of public lands in the state, according to Maloy's office."The sales from these small parcels of land will generate significant federal revenue, and have broad local support. It's a tailored, parochial budgetary measure," said House Natural Resources Committee spokesperson John Republican Rep. Jeff Hurd voted against the Nevada parcels are also in Lyon and Washoe Counties. The Utah parcels are in the western portion of the state, including around the city of St. George and near Zion National said the land sales provision resulted from a "community-driven effort" by the impacted sales provision advanced as the Natural Resources committee voted 26-17 to allow increased leasing of public lands for natural resource extraction, while clearing the path for more development by speeding up government said the overall bill would generate at least $18 billion in new revenue and rates paid by companies to extract oil, gas and coal would be cut, reversing former Democratic President Joe Biden's attempts to curb fossil fuels to help address climate measure is part of Trump's big bill of tax breaks, spending cuts and beefed-up funding to halt migrants. House Speaker Mike Johnson has set a goal of passing the package out of his chamber by Memorial Day. All told, 11 different House committees are crafting portions of the Rep. Ryan Zinke, a Republican and former Interior secretary in the first Trump administration, had said before the vote that he was drawing a "red line" on federal land sales."It's a no now. It will be a no later. It will be a no forever,'' said Zinke, whose state includes large parcels of federally owned lands. He is not on the Natural Resources Committee but his office said he would oppose any legislation to sell lands that reaches the House 1 million square miles is under federal control. Most of that land is in Alaska and Western states. That includes 63 percent in Utah and 80 percent in and Rep. Gabe Vasquez, D-New Mexico, are leading a new bipartisan Public Lands Caucus intended to protect and expand access to America's public lands. The caucus launched with a Wednesday news conference hours after the resources panel about the land sale provisions, Zinke said he understood frustrations over restrictions on logging and mineral extraction. But he indicated federal lands should remain under government management."I prefer the management scheme and I give as an example a hotel. If you don't like the management of a hotel, don't sell the hotel; change the management," he and gas royalty rates would drop from 16.7 percent on public lands and 18.75 percent offshore to a uniform 12.5 percent under the committee-passed bill, which still faces a vote in the full House and Senate once it is incorporated into the final legislative package. Royalties for coal would drop from 12.5 percent to 7 measure calls for four oil and gas lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge over the next decade. It also seeks to boost the ailing coal industry with a mandate to make available for leasing 6,250 square miles of public lands — an area greater in size than supporters say the lost revenue would be offset by increased development. It's uncertain if companies would have an appetite for leases given the industry's precipitous decline in recent years as utilities switched to cleaner burning fuels and renewable Secretary Doug Burgum and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner in March proposed using "underutilized" federal land for affordable housing. Turner said some 7 million homes are needed. Officials under Biden also sought to use public lands for affordable housing, although on a smaller agencies have not yet released more details of the reported from Billings, Montana.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sonoma County Fair cancels horse racing for 2025
The Brief The announcement comes on the heels of the closure at Golden Gate Fields and the end of stabling at Alameda County Fairgrounds. The fair's CEO says the elimination is due to a declining horse population in Northern California. The Sonoma County Fair is Aug. 1–10. SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. - The Sonoma County Fair is canceling horse racing for their 2025 event due to a declining horse population in Northern California, officials say. What we know In a statement released on Thursday, the fair's CEO said there were lengthy discussions, but ultimately it was decided to cancel this tradition that has been a part of the fair since 1936. They said the population decline is related to last year's closing of Golden Gate Fields and last month's elimination of stabling at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Because of these changes, Sonoma County Fair's CEO said there has been a shift to Southern California and other out-of-state race facilities for horse owners, trainers and support workers. "Although the proud heritage of horse racing has been lost for 2025, the focus of the Fair's agriculture, education, exhibits and entertainment will be enhanced because of this change," said fair CEO Matthew Daly. Berkeley's Golden Gate Fields lasted 83 years, but struggled to survive as the industry changed. The track also faced pressure from animal advocacy groups to close. Stabling at Alameda County Fairgrounds ended due to financial and regulatory changes, officials said. What's next As for the Sonoma County Fair, they said their board of directors would be open to bringing horse racing back if conditions changed and if the horse-racing industry saw revitalization. The fair is from August 1 through 10 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. For more information click here.
