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The U.S. Forest Service will be soliciting public comment on the purchase of 80,000 acres of state land in the BWCA.
This plan is being opposed by State Rep. Roger Skraba (R-Ely) and other members of the Range delegation.
On Aug. 6, the Forest Service announced a proposal to purchase land from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, St. Louis County, and The Conservation Fund.
In a letter to DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen, Skraba wrote: “We question the authority of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and U.S. Forest Service to complete this sale without legislative approval and without exchanging the land, acre-for-acre, as described in Public Law 88-577.
“Therefore, the proposed purchase is in violation of federal law and a land exchange should be pursued instead.
“Second, we are concerned about the limiting effect a one-time sale of School Trust Lands would have on the long-term viability of the Permanent School Fund.
“While the price of the proposed land sale is still not known, any one-time payment pales in comparison to ongoing revenues that would be generated for the Permanent School Fund if these lands are exchanged for federally owned lands where economic activity may occur.
“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.
“We ask that you put this proposed sale on hold and work with us to determine the best path forward that complies with federal and state law, provides ongoing financial stability for the Permanent School Fund,” the letter states.
The letter was signed by Skraba, State 6A Rep. Ben Davis, State 7A Rep. Spencer Igo and State 7 Sen. Robert D. Farnsworth.
The Forest Service said the purpose of the scoping period is to inform the public of the proposed action and to solicit public comments from Aug. 6 through Sept. 3.
Public comments are available to view on the project page, currently over 30 comments have been submitted. The scoping package and links to comment are available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/ superior/?project=66600.
Scoping informs interested and affected parties of the proposed action and solicits public comments.
The Forest Service anticipates analyzing the comments and environmental effects of the proposed project and making a decision using a categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The public is invited to make site-specific comments on the proposed purchases of the school trust lands, St. Louis State Tax Forfeit, and TCF land now through Sept. 3. The Project Scoping Package describes the analysis process for these purchases and outlines the process for submitting comments.
The public is invited to provide an opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the project.
For more information - contact Trevor Peck, Special Projects Manager, at [email protected], (801) 823-5138.
The Scoping Package including proposed action maps, lands lists, etc. are available electronically on the SNF website under the Forests Project Page - School Trust Lands, St. Louis County & TCF Purchase Project webpage. Paper copies of the scoping documents are available upon request.
