{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://fulcher.house.gov/2025/12/08/id-a0953b31-f38b-43c1-a8fa-8c6f067f2947/", "Fulcher Issues Public Lands Letter to Idaho Leadership", "2025-12-08", "2025", "2025-12", "Republican", "House", "ID", "Russ Fulcher", "F000469", "fulcher.house.gov", "fulcher", "https://fulcher.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 Today, U.S. Congressman Russ Fulcher (Idaho-01) issued a letter to Idaho\u2019s Constitutional Officers, State Legislators, and County Commissioners. The letter underscored the importance of encouraging local resource management, convening discussions on effective land-management practices moving forward, and safeguarding Idaho\u2019s public lands for future generations of Idahoans.\n\nThe entire letter reads as follows:\n\nI write to you as a fellow Idahoan fighting to preserve and protect our state\u2019s precious natural resources, a cornerstone of which is Idaho\u2019s lands.\n\nIn Idaho, our public lands are a treasured part of our way of life, offering recreational opportunities, abundant resources, and natural beauty. Over 62% of the land within Idaho\u2019s borders is controlled by the federal government. Some of this land was identified for federal control as a result of its mineral value, and other parts remained under federal control due to non-development during westward expansion, poor farming conditions, and terrain difficulties that posed challenges to homesteaders. This extensive federal government footprint in our state poses significant challenges to our autonomy in issuing leases for timber, grazing, and mining. A recent example of freedoms lost when Idahoans are not in control of Idaho affairs is the disastrous Lava Ridge Wind Project. In this situation, the Biden administration made clear they were willing to run roughshod over the State of Idaho and move forward with a wind farm development in Southern Idaho, despite consistent public outcry of disapproval.\n\nAfter serving seven years in Congress, it is clear to me that the federal government\u2014who is effectively our landlord\u2014has failed to manage the lands wisely and has been derelict in working with state and local entities to reduce the risk of wildfires, provide the public with better access to natural resources, and address the overall health of our lands. Put another way, federal entities are overwhelmed. They don\u2019t have the resources to do all the management, so they don\u2019t. As evidence, current deferred maintenance for federal land management projects on public lands reached approximately $50 billion in 2024, and moving forward, agency budgets will only see more pressure.\n\nLast year, federal land mismanagement was a major factor in nearly one million acres of our beautiful Idaho going up in flames, a level of devastation that puts significant financial strain on our local economies. Having the majority of the Gem State\u2019s public lands under federal government control also forces us to rely on costly compensation programs from the federal government, like Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) and Secure Rural Schools (SRS). These programs, which are intrinsically tied to Idaho infrastructure projects, schools, and critical community services, are not a long-term solution and are growing increasingly difficult to garner support for in Congress, which is a harsh reality we must all take into consideration. The reason for this growing lack of support is that they are viewed as subsidies from other states to Idaho. I hear it all the time: Members of Congress from states without vast levels of federal land don\u2019t want to subsidize us anymore. It\u2019s important to note that, due in part to the large federal footprint in Idaho, more than a third of our state budget comes through federal sources. If this issue is left unaddressed, we will have a real problem on our hands that will likely put unsustainable pressure on local property taxes.\n\nEventually, a transition of land management responsibility to state and local entities is imminent due to the aforementioned growing frustration. I frequently hear the argument that local stakeholders can\u2019t possibly afford to manage the lands within our borders. My response to that is long-term, we can\u2019t afford not to. Consider: In 2024, the total PILT received by Idahoans through federal channels (calculated by total receipts divided by total federal acres) came out to approximately $1.25 per acre. I am confident that, given the ability to make our own land management decisions, a far greater return would be realized. But, we need to be proactive, have a plan, and be the drivers of the process.\n\nThe answer is to encourage local resource management. No one is better equipped or more incentivized to responsibly manage Idaho land than Idahoans. The goal is not privatization but better stewardship through local stakeholder involvement\u2014the state, counties, municipalities, tribes, ranchers, and private operators, all working together, are the solution.\n\nOur public lands need to stay public, but they need to be controlled locally.\n\nIn Congress, I\u2019ve prioritized returning decision-making power to Idahoans and reducing federal red tape. That includes modernizing outdated laws like the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to enable better forest management, wildfire mitigation, and improved access for recreation and responsible development. As part of the EXPLORE Act, which was recently signed into law in conjunction with my bill, the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) program was expanded to allow counties and Tribes to participate in revenue sharing with the federal government on local forest projects\u2014something only available to states until now. While these measures are a step in the right direction, additional reforms are needed, and we have a long way to go.\n\nI have started holding a series of stakeholder meetings around the state, convening discussions with federal, state, local, and private interests to discuss best land management practices and how to effectively move forward. I encourage you to join these efforts and/or do the same within your sphere of influence.\n\nAs we collectively embrace this opportunity to be wise stewards of our state\u2019s natural resources and the responsibility to preserve and protect Idaho\u2019s land for future generations, know that I am a resource and ally in Congress, and I will continue to fight for Idahoans\u2019 right to manage the affairs of Idaho.\n\nCongressman Fulcher serves on the two premier House committees that set policy for federal lands: Energy & Commerce and Natural Resources. The letter can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-17T05:47:03Z", "2026-04-17T05:48:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://fulcher.house.gov/2025/12/08/id-a0953b31-f38b-43c1-a8fa-8c6f067f2947/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8482993580400944, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}