In a brilliant move, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) introduced H.R. 34, “The Land and Social Security Optimization Act (LASSO) that allocates ten percent of revenues generated from the multiple-uses of the nation’s federal lands to be deposited into the Social Security Trust Fund helping to increase its solvency..
Margaret Byfield, Executive Director of American Stewards was asked by Gosar to testify last week before the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources on the bill. The opportunity gave her the ability to highlight the federal government’s mismanagement of our federal lands that has caused extensive damages to our nation’s natural resources.
She then explained when people’s livelihoods are tied to the productivity of the land, they take better care of the resource. By tying this generation’s social security benefits to the productive use of nearly 640 million acres of land owned by the federal government, proper management of these lands for their best and highest use becomes extremely important.
This connection incentivizes proper stewardship by the agencies and ensures benefits will be there well into the future.
Go here to read Byfield’s testimony.
