The Privatization of America's Public Lands
by Bill Berkowitz, AlterNet.org
As
corporations and privateers gear up for Earth Day, environmental
activist Scott Silver aims his gaze at one of the most overlooked
developments in the anti-environmental arsenal – the growing trend of
privatization on America's public lands.
Over its
35-year history, Earth Day – originally established during the
pre-Watergate days of the Nixon administration, and celebrated on April
22 – has devolved from a day set aside for careful consideration of the
planet to a rather free-ranging and amorphous series of public
celebrations and civic activities, many sponsored by multinational
corporations. At EarthDay.gov, the Bush Administration is hailing Earth
Day as “a time to celebrate gains we have made and create new visions
to accelerate environmental progress.”
In an
era where the Bush administration characterizes its environmental
agenda as “common sense” environmentalism [Editor's note:
rahahahahahahahaha], there are a slew of front-burner issues that will
likely get short shrift on Earth Day including global warming, drilling
for oil in the Artic, new legislation aimed at lifting the ban on
offshore oil and gas drilling in the U.S., and increasing threats to
the water we drink and air we breathe.
One issue that will definitely not get much attention is the growing trend toward privatizing America's public lands. Privatization
is one of the most “insidious and all-encompassing developments” that
will ultimately force Americans to “pay to play,” at recreation areas
all across the country, says Scott Silver, the executive director of Wild Wilderness, a Central Oregon-based environmental organization.
(Read the interview with Scott Silver here.)
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