Of all the rumors about what my CIEDRA bill does or doesn’t do, the most common rumor I hear is that this bill is going to give away vast swaths of state land and dramatically increase federal regulation in our state.  These claims are absolutely false.  Idahoans deserve the truth about this bill and about land designations in the Boulder-White Clouds.

First and foremost, it is important to know that CIEDRA does not give any state or private lands to the federal government.  It does not create any additional federal land.  In fact, the only land transfers in the bill give federal land to local counties to be used for important public purposes, like a cemetery, a waste transfer station, a fire station, and a school bus turnaround. 

Most areas affected by CIEDRA are existing federal lands that are currently designated as wilderness study areas.  As such, the federal government already manages them as if they were wilderness, which means that land use in this area is significantly restricted right now.  Because the federal government has complete discretion over this land today, federal agencies could further restrict access, or even designate the area as a national monument without any local input. 

I don’t want to see that happen.  I believe that Idahoans should have a say in how this land is managed.  In fact, I originally became involved in this issue because the Idahoans whose livelihoods were being threatened by the status quo asked me to help them find a solution to this problem.  This is why I have worked for nearly a decade with local ranchers, elected officials, recreationists, and other affected parties to craft legislation to ensure that they are not longer subject to the whim of the federal government.

One thing CIEDRA does do is permanently release 130,000 acres of wilderness study areas from restrictive management into multiple use so that it can be used for recreation, ranching, mining, and other traditional purposes.  I believe this is vastly preferable to the status quo.  So do those who live and recreate in the Boulder-White Clouds and need long-term solutions to the serious land management conflicts in this area.  I think that Idahoans can be very proud of the compromise that they have developed to ensure that all Idahoans can use and enjoy the Boulder-White Clouds now and into the future.