This is almost exactly the amount that the federal government spent to manage the 630 million acres administered by the BLM, the Forest Service, the Parks Service, and the Bureau of Fish and Wildlife. The federal government already transfers half of the mineral revenues the BLM collects to the states, and a percentage of its grazing fees. This sum that would disappear under a revenue-transfer plan. Environmentalists and libertarians both argue that state lands have often been mismanaged. Preferential treatment is often given to holders of existing graze leases.
Many states lose money on managing their forests.
Sports enthusiasts and hikers fear that if BLM lands are transferred to the states, the land will then be sold to private parties, shutting out public use. State control of these lands could well result in privatization. The states could also turn the land over to municipalities, create public corporations, contract with private firms to manage the land, or auction off leases. Between the twin demons of federal mismanagement of public lands and outright privatization, state land trusts may offer a reasonable compromise. Unless public lands are protected from special interests, both extractive and preservationist, land management tends to follow a political drumbeat.