The federal vs. state land ownership debate

A distinguished law professor from Utah came to Idaho Falls to talk to the Rotary Club about transferring federal land to state control on Wednesday. The hot topic on whether the federal government or the state should own lands has always been controversial and complicated in the west.

Bob Keiter, a law professor at University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, outlined the good and the bad of transferring federal land to the state.

Public land in the west is under federal control, usually reserved for forests and wildlife. Several of the western states, including Idaho, have passed legislation demanding the federal government transfer ownership of lands to the states.

“It would probably be very difficult for the states to make ends meet if they were to secure ownership of the federal lands. There are enormous costs involved in managing these lands including the cost of managing wildfires, which is a highly unpredictable cost on an annual basis,” said Keiter.

In Idaho, about 64 percent of the state is owned by the government.