Latest news with #ToddKeller
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Mountain Bikers Celebrate as Public Lands Sell-Off Amendment Removed from Reconciliation Bill
The International Mountain Biking Association and other outdoor recreation and conservation organizations are breathing a sigh of relief after an amendment to sell off nearly 500,000 acres in Utah and Nevada was removed from the Reconciliation Bill that passed the House last night at 10 p.m. ET. 'Outdoor advocates were heard loud and clear: Our public lands are not for sale,' Todd Keller, Director of Government Affairs, International Mountain Bicycling Association, said in a statement today. 'IMBA thanks the mountain bikers, the climbers, the hunters, the hikers and every outdoor user group for coming together on this vital issue. Public lands are essential for trails, outdoor recreation, thriving economies and healthy communities. We all must remain engaged to protect our public lands and uphold the public process that enables those protections.' The House Natural Resources Committee added the amendment to President Donald Trump's 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' that would sell some 500,000 acres in Utah and Nevada to local governments, which then could sell that land to private entities. Land adjacent to Zion National Park in Utah and surrounding Las Vegas, Nevada, was among the land proposed for sell-off to help off-set tax cuts and costs proposed in the bill. BLM and U.S. Forest Service land used by mountain bikers, including Bear Claw Poppy Trail and Hurricane Cliffs Trail systems in Utah, would have potentially been off-limits in the future had the amendment not been stricken. Supporters of the amendment said it would have generated revenue for the federal government and provided land for housing. Detractors said it would lock the public out of outdoor recreation areas and benefit only wealthy private citizens and corporations, as well as paving the way for even greater public land sell-offs in the future. Programs such as Medicaid and other social and environmental provisions remain under threat in the bill. 'The [Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership] is encouraged to see provisions removed from the House budget reconciliation bill that would sell off public lands. Hunters and anglers stepped into the arena to make their voices heard, and members of Congress listened—thank you,' said Joel Pedersen, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership. 'In particular, we thank Congressmen Zinke, Downing, and Simpson for their strident advocacy on behalf of America's hunters, anglers, and outdoor recreationists. We also appreciate the efforts of the House Natural Resources Committee and House leadership on their role in an outcome that maintains the public's ability to weigh in on actions affecting our public lands. We remain committed to working with lawmakers to resolve challenges with public lands management and to find solutions that are in the public interest.' Former Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke (R-MT), Rep. Troy Downing (R-MT) and Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) played crucial roles in having the amendment stricken from the greater bill. Zinke, along with Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) created the bipartisan Public Lands Caucus to help protect public lands. 'This was my San Juan Hill; I do not support the widespread sale or transfer of public lands,' Zinke said in a press release that goes on to support the bill. 'Once land is sold, we will never get it back. God isn't creating more land.' While the IMBA and other organizations celebrate the removal of the public land sell-off amendment, conservation and environment groups remain concerned about remaining provisions in the bill that would increase leasing on public lands for mining, increase royalty rates for oil and gas projects, and ease environmental protection. The bill narrowly passed the House in a 215-214 vote Wednesday night. The bill now heads to the Senate for debate and a final vote. If passed, it then goes to the President's desk for signature.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Phoenix Motel 6 fire sends a person to the hospital, fire department says
The Brief A fire broke out at a Phoenix Motel 6 early in the morning on May 18. A person was taken to the hospital, and they're in stable condition. PHOENIX - An early morning fire at a Phoenix Motel 6 landed a person in the hospital, the fire department said. What we know The fire broke out around 3:30 a.m. near 51st Avenue and McDowell Road on May 18. "Crews arrived and found smoke coming from a third floor unit. Firefighters quickly extended hose lines and attack the flames. Due to the potential of the fire command balanced the assignment to a first alarm. A ladder company was assigned to the roof to attack the fire from an elevated position. There were a total of three units affected," Phoenix Fire Capt. Todd Keller said. A person was taken to the hospital as a result of the fire, and they're in stable condition. Their injuries weren't detailed by the fire department. What's next The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
IMBA Addresses Public Lands Sell-Off Proposal
The International Mountain Bicycling Association has issued a statement concerning a House Committee on Natural Resources amendment to the reconciliation bill that would sell off nearly 500,000 acres of public land in Utah and Nevada. 'IMBA is concerned that proposed public land disposal sales have not allowed for proper public review to assess the value of recreation against the intended goal of the sale. IMBA discourages large-scale public land sales. Public lands are essential for trails, outdoor recreation, and healthy communities. Any proposed sale should carefully consider impacts to recreation and overall landscape health, and should include the opportunity for public review and public comment.'- Todd Keller, Director of Government Affairs, International Mountain Bicycling Association On May 7 the House Natural Resources Committee passed a reconciliation bill that, if it progresses and passes into law, would in part sell off nearly half a million acres of land overseen by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service. That public land includes 300 acres adjacent to Zion National Monument in Utah and land surrounding Las Vegas, Nevada. The public land sell provision of the full reconciliation bill was added after midnight on the morning of the vote and had not been included in the initial draft, avoiding public scrutiny and debate. The land sell amendment is part of the reconciliation package that the Trump Administration's "Big, Beautiful Bill" that Republicans say could add $18.5 billion in revenue and savings to help fund tax cuts in the bill. See a map of the proposed public land to be sold here. Supporters of the proposed bill argue that federal land should be monetized to support local communities and the country, and that the land sold off would be a small percentage of federally owned land. Detractors say that allowing this bill to pass would pave the way for more federal land to be sold, thereby denying the public use of it to recreated and hunt, destroy critical habitat for wildlife, and profit only private citizens wealthy enough to purchase the land. The land sale provision was introduced by representatives Mark Amodei (R-NV) and Celeste Maloy (R-UT). Rep. Jeff Hurd (R-CO) was the only Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee to not vote for the sell off. Rep. Adam Gray (D-CA) joined Republicans in voting to advance the full reconciliation bill. The vote was 26 to 17 in favor of the bill. Under the proposal, the land would be sold to local governments which could then sell the land to private owners for everything from mining to vacation homes. In Utah, popular outdoor recreation areas in the St. George area that could be impacted by the proposal include Bear Claw Poppy Trail System, Coral Canyon Ridge Climbing Area, the Plateau Passage Bikepacking Route, and the Hurricane Cliffs Trail System. In Nevada, acreage in Clark County that includes Las Vegas, and Pershing, Lyon and Washoe counties could be impacted. '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 Seibels. '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,' Sen. Cortez Masto (D-NV) said. 'This is a land grab to fund Republicans 'billionaire giveaway tax bill, and I'll fight it with everything I have.' Former Dept. of Interior Secretary Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) has joined with Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) to lead a bipartisan Public Lands Caucus who's intention is to protect and expand public lands. "As Co-Chairs, Vasquez and Zinke bring a shared passion for public lands from two very different parts of the country—Vasquez as a first-generation conservationist from the borderlands of New Mexico, and Zinke as a Navy SEAL and former Secretary of the Interior from Big Sky Country. Alongside Vice-Chairs Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06) and Chairman Mike Simpson (R-ID-02), the Caucus bridges rural and urban, East and West, conservationists and sportsmen alike," a statement on Rep. Zinke's web page says. IMBA joins several outdoor recreation, environmental, hunting and conservation groups that have voiced concern over the proposal, including Trout Unlimited and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. The full reconciliation bill is expected to be voted on by the full House before Memorial Day, May 26. It would then go to the full Senate for a vote. If passed it would go to the President for signing into law. Groups opposed to the public land amendment are asking constituents to contact their representatives to voice their opposition. Representatives' contact information can be found here.
