Is it not merely a coincidence this is on the front page at the same time that the U.S. is proposing to sell off its public lands to those with the deepest pockets?
Selling public lands has no bearing on the ability to prospect for and extract minerals like gold. You’ve always been able to do this on public lands. It is in law and has priority over most other land use rights.
There are other private land use rights which are adversely affected by adjacency to Federal land, which may motivate the legislation, it is a real problem. It doesn’t make any sense to sell off most public lands; the regions where this is an issue are relatively small and the legislation isn’t targeted in the slightest.
As an avid enjoyer of these wilderness areas, I find the legislation highly suspect. The given reason is obvious bullshit, and it isn’t narrowly targeted at regions with legitimate land use problems created by the current state.
Also, I know some of the areas covered very well. There seems to be some selectivity for public lands that would make a killer private resort. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. People would absolutely lose their minds if they realized some of the land opened up by the legislation. It doesn’t seem random.
