Minnesota Has Discovered Their Natural Resources Have An "All The Above" Flavor -- A Page From Obama's Playbook on Developing Natural Resources?

Updates

Later, 1:10 pm: Yes, I was correct. The article has been corrected. The Freudian slip in which it was suggested that the environmentalists will "sue," has been changed to the environmentalists "use" this land. That correction didn't take long.

Original Post

A most interesting story: it looks like when a state is financially in "deep do-do," even liberal states start to wake up: Minnesota just enacted a new law that will encourage development of their natural resources. Wow.

First, the "cut and paste" from the link:

The legislation demands that state managers now put more emphasis on raising money for state education efforts and less emphasis on ecological or recreation concerns.

The 2.5 million acres, an area larger than Yellowstone National Park .... was given to the state by the federal government 150 years ago with the stipulation that any money made off the land — from logging, mining or land sales — be assigned to a trust fund that doles out money to school districts across the state.

The land has been managed by the DNR for decades as if it were traditional state forest used by hunters, campers and hikers, ....

Opponents say the bill effectively takes management of the 2.5 million acres away from the science-based DNR and gives it to lawmakers and a new trust lands czar that will overlook environmental impacts, hunters, hikers and other people who sue the land.

Teachers and students get at least an equal spot at the table with the Sierra Club. Incredible.

The reason I was quick to "cut and paste" this portion: my hunch is that the story will be corrected in a moment.

But before it is, note that last paragraph:

"...  and a new trust lands czar that will overlook environmental impacts, hunters, hikers and other people who sue the land."

Or maybe not. That's exactly who will sue to keep the land a private reserve for hunters, hikers, and huggers.

I can only assume the state of Minnesota looked across the state line to see how NDIC's three-person commission was managing the natural resources of North Dakota and said, "wow."