Is the legal and regulatory system for managing public lands irretrievably broken?

Some of the people most intimately familiar with the law, the regulations, and the process claim that it just isn't fixable.

John Freemuth
Professor, Political Science and Public Administration, Boise State University and Senior Fellow, Andrus Center for Public Policy

• We see what looked like a good example of collaboration just blow up . . . How do these things happen?
  
  

Jack Ward Thomas - Cecil Andrus exchange

• Standards and guidelines are cop-outs . . . we could even talk about doing away with fees.
  
  

Jack Ward Thomas - Gregg Cawley exchange

• Analysis paralysis; no closure on planning process.
  
  
  

Bill Bachman
Professional Forester

• Do we need a public land law review?
  
  
  

Mark Pollot
Attorney

• Agencies write and rewrite regulations . . . to the point where people feel there is no stability.
  
  

Jack Ward Thomas

• Regulations are often more stringent than law; it's a broken system.
  
  

Dave Rittenhouse
Supervisor, USFS

• These are not new issues, they're not new conflicts, we don't seem to [be able to] do anything to change it.
  
  

Winston Wiggins
Director, Idaho Department of Lands

• Pilot projects would put in place different processes.
  
  

John McCarthy
Conservation Director, Idaho Conservation League

• There are a lot of things that can be done to improve situations for communities, for wildlife, for water quality, but I say these things come with a price tag.