Those lands that have been retained are today managed by numerous federal agencies, including the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Department of Defense, and others. The purposes for which these agencies manage these lands vary greatly.

The following sections present the general views of Republicans for Environmental Protection on how these lands should be managed.

Part II: General Principles

REP believes those lands within our nation’s boundaries owned by the federal government are public lands, and should be managed in all cases for uses that are in the best interests of the American people. Uses of these lands that would tend to exclude the general public, whether by private entities or by the government itself, must meet this test. Leases for commercial development of natural resources on public lands must be made at prices that are competitive with similar development on private lands. Leases must also include any restoration costs, and provisions for full compliance with other federal laws, such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act.

We believe that all public lands should have a stated goal of serving as refuges for native plant and animal species, to the fullest extent consistent with their other missions. Such lands can, and should, serve as...

• genetic reservoirs,
• havens for reproduction,
• benchmarks for evaluating endangered species progress on other lands, and
• laboratories for ongoing scientific research.

An integral part of this will be keeping invasive species out of public lands, and restoring lands already afflicted with invasives.

Mining Act of 1872

As a related consideration, REP considers the Mining Act of 1872 as egregiously outdated and obsolete, and patently counterproductive to the best interests of twenty-first century America. We call for its repeal, and for the passage of a new law governing mining on our public lands that embodies competitive pricing, requires full compliance with all other federal laws, and mandates future restoration of leased land by the leasee.

The Antiquities Act of 1906

The Antiquities Act has been used by numerous Presidents of both parties from Theodore Roosevelt to the present to effect the preservation of numerous outstanding examples of America's natural and cultural heritage. In recognition of this, we strongly support its unmodified retention and continued use.

Part III: Lands Administered by the...

A. National Park Service

We agree with the oft-repeated assertion that "National Parks are the best idea America ever had." However, they are more than just scenic and historical sites of great visitor interest. In a very real sense they embody the essence of the American experience.

Further, they play a key role in the conservation of America’s biological diversity, another essential component of our American heritage. REP views the maintenance and (where appropriate) expansion of the National Park system as one of our highest national priorities.

To this end we encourage the following:

1. The budget of the National Park Service (NPS) should be increased to eliminate the current backlog of deferred maintenance over a period of not more than five years. Sufficient funds must be allocated to bring all NPS units into good repair, to permit modernization where needed, and to ensure future maintenance backlogs do not reach the critical proportions that currently exist.

2. National Park Service appropriations must be expanded to provide for needed increases in personnel. Budget cuts have left many NPS units with too small a staff to adequately maintain the parks, educate visitors, facilitate research, and provide necessary security.

3. Our National Parks should be oriented toward providing the public with experiences and education in natural environments. Facilities and activities that can be obtained elsewhere and that are not essential to the above goals (i.e. golf courses, beauty parlors, etc.) should not be included within NPS units.

4. National Park Service units should be expanded where appropriate to provide more logical boundaries, such as conformation to local watersheds and other natural geographic features. Opposition by other federal agencies (USFS, BLM, etc.) to land transfers proposed to facilitate this goal, if based solely on the argument of traditional uses and boundaries, should be viewed as insufficient to prevent such transfers.

5. Appropriate recreational uses of National Park Service units may be provided for, but in all cases where a particular recreational use may conflict with the biological integrity of the unit, the recreational use must be scaled back to the point where it presents no significant adverse effects to the unit’s biological functions.

6. Similarly, REP America supports the right of the National Park Service to restrict, or eliminate if necessary, the use of any particular type of motorized vehicle in portions, or the entirety, of any Park Service unit whenever it can be reasonably demonstrated that such use is detrimental to either the well-being of the unit's flora or fauna, or to the enjoyment of its visitors.

B. U.S. Forest Service

All of the principles and policies contained in the existing REP policy on National Forests are incorporated by reference into this section on Public Lands, and the reader is referred to them.

C. U.S. Fish and Wildlife

The main type of lands administered by this agency are the National Wildlife Refuges. Historically, these refuges were created exclusively for the promotion of hunting and fishing. Today, biological preservation is also recognized as a primary function for many of the Refuges.

REP believes that...

1. Hunting and/or fishing are valid uses on particular National Wildlife Refuges, recognizing that some Refuges will have biological protection mandates that will preclude such activities.

2. All National Wildlife Refuges should regulate activities in such a way that any rare, endangered, threatened, or declining species that may be present are not adversely impacted.

3. The National Wildlife Refuges should be funded at a level that permits them to fully comply with Congressional mandates.

D. Bureau of Land Management

Originally, these were lands that "nobody else wanted," lands that were viewed as too poor in quality to be of interest to homesteaders, farmers, or other government agencies.

Today, we know differently. Many BLM lands have great scenic value, many have important archeological resources, and almost all have value in terms of their intrinsic biota.

These factors were recognized by the BLM Organic Act of 1976 (Federal Land Policy and Management Act), which brought the management of these lands more on a level with lands administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

However, additional improvements are necessary:

1. Mining permits must include lease fees comparable to those paid for leases on privately held lands. A reclamation bond for land restoration, or payment into a reclamation trust fund, should be required.

2. Grazing may be permitted, but only at levels that do not cause or contribute to deterioration of natural biological resources on the leased land, or induce erosion.

3. The BLM has always been grossly underfunded. As with the National Wildlife Refuges, the BLM should be funded at a level that permits it to fully comply with Congressional mandates.

4. Appropriate portions of BLM lands should be designated as statutory wilderness areas, as provided by the BLM Organic Act.

5. Suitable parcels of BLM lands should be transferred to adjacent NPS or USF&WS units, to simplify management objectives.

E. Department of Defense

REP recognizes that the primary mission of the Department of Defense (DOD) is national defense. We also acknowledge that many military bases have admirable natural resource conservation programs. All military bases should actively work to protect sensitive or endangered species that might be present.

Military Environmental Responsibility Act

In general, we believe the DOD should comply with all applicable federal environmental laws and regulations in the same manner as any other federal agency (with exception made for a national emergency such as a declared war). To this end, we support the concept of the proposed federal Military Environmental Responsibility Act (MERA) legislation, pending concurrence with its final wording.

F. All other federal agencies and lands

In general, all federal agencies should be accountable for complying with pertinent environmental laws and regulations of the United States. All federal lands, regardless of the administering agency, should be surveyed for sensitive species and managed for pollution minimization and energy efficiency. In all cases, the agency in charge should manage renewable resources on a sustained yield basis, and fully comply with all applicable federal environmental laws and regulations.