Did you hear about the Omnibus Public Land Management bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama yesterday? Not only it is another pork-laden bill that cuts off millions of acres of public land from any sort of energy exploration whatsoever. This bill will also make it a criminal act to take a rock from federal lands under the “paleontological resources preservation” provision.
This section, in the name of protecting fossils on federal lands, makes it a crime to “excavate, remove, damage, or otherwise alter or deface or attempt to excavate, remove, damage, or otherwise alter or deface any paleontological resources located on Federal land” without special permission from the government. Penalties for violations include up to five years imprisonment, and “paleontological resources” are loosely defined as all “fossilized remains…that are of paleontological interest and that provide information about the history of life on earth.”
“Paleontological resources” are defined so broadly and the offenses defined so loosely that many fossil lovers — from scientists to amateur rock collectors — became concerned that it would criminalize innocent error. After all, many common fossil rocks could be “of paleontological interest” and “provide information about the history of life on earth.” Tracie Bennitt, president of the Association of Applied Paleontological Sciences, wrote that “we can visualize now a group of students unknowingly crossing over an invisible line and ending up handcuffed and prosecuted. An honest mistake is just that and should be treated accordingly.”
As word spread of these provisions, this association was later joined in this objection by CEI, NCPPR, and two groups that don’t normally sign on to letters with free-market organizations about lands bills — the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the ACLU! “We are concerned that the bill creates many new federal crimes using language that is so broad that the provisions could cover innocent human error,” the letter from the diverse coalitions stated. “Above all, we are concerned that a bill containing new federal crimes, fines and imprisonment, and forfeiture provisions may come to the House floor without first being marked up in the House Judiciary Committee.”
In addition, 2 million acres will be off limits to bicycles and even wheelchairs! When Obama signed the bill he declared “This legislation guarantees that we will not take our forests, rivers, oceans, national parks, monuments, and wilderness areas for granted; but rather we will set them aside and guard their sanctity for everyone to share.” Everyon that is, except the disabled.
OH Yeah, they just bound up more of Oregon in this bill. Our worthless governor is just ecstatic, warm and fuzzy, dancing over more of Oregon being under federal “stewardship” and out of production. All you should be proud to be educating our children and building our roads so you can tell your grandchildren how you were a part of bringing about the “National Monument” known as Oregon.
“Land of the Empire Builders” PFFFT!
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Oh wow- how fun..we’re going to take our national parks and put them in a museum behind glass where everyone can look but not touch. YAY! Won’t that be wonderful? Preserve it all…sheer bliss…wonderful utopia, amazing preservation of our land..erm..i mean Obama’s..erm i mean China’s land. Oh yippy skippy.
Meanwhile, back in reality land, i’m pretty convinced ‘they’ all need to be locked up..maybe they can be sent to Gitmo – i hear it’s a “relaxing and beautiful place’, according to Miss Universe.
Has the whole world gone mad?
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Pfft is right. And seriously, can I have one of those shots? LOL! Need to numb the brain to take all of this in. Otherwise our heads may explode!
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