Yet, here we are, with people and the government unable to stop furloughs, job losses, and lower revenue to keep the government functioning. Our public lands have certainly not been spared from this indiscriminate budget ax.
New bills from Reps. Labrador (ID), Tipton (CO), Gosar (Ariz.), and the Chairman of the committee, Rep. Doc Hastings (Wash.) would force thousands, if not millions, of acres of forest to be all but handed over to timber companies, at the expense of the taxpayer.
The hearing was supposed to be about the number of jobs that oil and gas drilling create, and how they help out nearby communities. And while drilling does create some jobs, the panel today is glossing over the millions of jobs that are threatened by drilling on public lands.
