By Bartholomew D Sullivan | USA TODAY
As the new Republican-dominated House convened in early January, anticipating the arrival of President Trump, the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee declared it time for a “paradigm shift” in how the more than 25% of the country that is owned by the federal government is managed.
Almost eight months into an all-Republican-led effort, it’s clear that shift is under way.
It started almost immediately. On the first day of the new Congress, Republicans passed a rule that made it easier to make conveyances of federal land by treating such transfers as cost-free even if they would potentially cause losses of revenue from mining or drilling rights.
