Federal Land, Western Anger: Sagebrush Rebellion and Environmental Politics (Development of Western Resources) - Softcover

Cawley, R.McGreggor

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0700608044 ISBN 13: 9780700608041

Publisher: University Press of Kansas, 1996

Synopsis

An account of the Sagebrush Rebellion of the late 1970s--in which a region of fifteen states declared war on the property clause of the U.S. constitution--as a defining event in the political history of public land policy in the West. Cawley's analysis emphasizes understanding the rebels' perspective.

About this title

Review

"Of great interest to students of U.S. federalism. Cawley presents a fine case study of the background and denouement of this flashfire in which a region of fifteen states declared war on the property clause of the U.S. Constitution."--Publius: The Journal of Federalism

"Because this book provides an excellent historical backdrop for these tumultuous times in the changing conservation story, it should be read by all policy analysts and would work well in classrooms where policy is studied."--Western Historical Quarterly

"An excellent account of the Sagebrush Rebellion as a defining event in the political history of public land policy in the western states. This is a valuable contribution to the literature on federal land policy and natural resource politics. Cawley weaves a wide variety of federal land policy issues into the text, including battles over wilderness, grazing, mechanized recreation, and various proposed water, energy, and defense projects. Those who wish to learn more about the forces that drive current events in the public land policy arena, will find this book essential reading."--Environmental History Review

"This book goes beyond the political clichés and shallow media coverage and presents the real conflicts that determine who controls the social and economic activities of the western states."--James G. Watt, Secretary of the Interior, 1981-1983

"If defense against one's natural enemies is the key to survival, then environmentalists would do well to read Cawley's penetrating analysis of how and why the Sagebrush Rebellion coalesced in the late 1970s. This is an essential addition to the shelf of the best recent studies of American natural resources policy and of environmental politics."--Roderick Frazier Nash, author of Wilderness and the American Mind

Synopsis

Delving beneath the political cliches and shallow media coverage, this text illuminates the underlying reasons for the vitriolic battle that pitted public land users in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming against the federal government's Bureau of land management during the last decade.

Edition details

• Publisher: University Press of Kansas
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0700608044
• ISBN 13: 9780700608041
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 196