The Next Fight: State Land Reform

by Jonathan DuHamel

The Arizona legislature will hold a special session in June to consider proposed reform of the State Land Department and the way it disposes of State Trust Lands. The land department is mandated by the Arizona Constitution and Enabling Act to maximize revenue from Trust lands for the benefit of Arizona school children. Reformers want to change that.

Last year, People for the West forced a halt to state practice of auctioning state land encumbered by a conservation easement as a condition of sale. Such practice is specifically forbidden by the Arizona Constitution and denied the Trust of the full market value of the land. In essence, in the name of conservation, the state was stealing from the school children. Now they want to make that legal.

Among other reforms, the legislature will consider proposals to set aside 280,000 acres without any compensation to the Trust, and to sell an additional 400,000 acres at appraised value, rather than at market value gained through competitive bidding – generally twice the appraised value. To do that they will have to change the constitution.

Proponents of reform are trying to get the question on the November ballot and ask Arizona voters for authority to change the Arizona Constitution and petition Congress to change the Enabling Act.

Strangely enough, the Sierra Club, the Audubon Society, and the Center for Biological Diversity are against the reform as currently proposed; not because is steals land, but because it does not steal enough land.

Some of the affected state land, especially that in Pima County, contains valuable potential mineral resources. Let’s not blithely give away these resources.

Please urge your state senators and representatives to, at least, consider the reform proposal very carefully. The land reform proposal should be rejected. Let’s not sacrifice our children to the preservationists.