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St. Paul, MN—State Representative Roger Skraba, R-Ely, and a group of members from the Iron Range Delegation sent a letter to Minnesota DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen last week stating their opposition to the proposed sale of 80,000 acres of state land in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW) to the federal government.
Skraba spearheaded the effort in drafting the letter and has been working to build opposition to the sale for weeks.
“My opposition to this proposed sale is rooted in the clear understanding that the DNR and U.S. Forest Service cannot complete this transaction without legislative approval or without exchanging the land, acre-for-acre, as prescribed in federal law,” said Skraba. “In addition to concerns with the legality surrounding this transaction, any sale involving School Trust Lands should be viewed through the lens of maintaining the long-term viability of the Permanent School Fund. A one-time sale may provide a lump sum, but it fails to provide the long-term revenue stream that a land exchange would provide.”
The letter reads in part:
Simply selling these lands to the federal government is not only legally dubious, but financially short-sighted as well. Beyond simple dollars and cents, a one-off sale further limits communities’ ability to have a say in how the land around them is managed, maintained, and leaves out their voice in determining its future use.
A full copy of the letter can be found here.
Other signees include Rep. Spencer Igo, R-Wabana Township, Rep. Ben Davis, R-Merrifield, Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, and Sen. Rob Farnsworth, R-Hibbing.
