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Gosar outlines 'Lasso Act' proposal and seeks rollbacks of some monument designations
Summary
U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar told the Mohave County Public Lands and Recreation Commission on Aug. 7 that he is sponsoring legislation called the "Lasso Act" to allocate a portion of public-lands receipts to the Social Security trust fund and that he supports narrowing recent federal monument designations to preserve permitted mining, grazing and other uses.
U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar told the Mohave County Public Lands and Recreation Commission on Aug. 7 that he is sponsoring legislation called the "Lasso Act" to allocate a portion of public-lands receipts to the Social Security trust fund and that he supports narrowing recent federal monument designations to preserve permitted mining, grazing and other uses.
"We take 10% of all the proceeds coming off of public lands, and we put it in the Social Security trust fund," Gosar said, describing one core element of the bill. He added the proposal would, in his view, "empower the public" to review public-lands portfolios and argued the changes could increase financial returns from federal land uses.
Gosar singled out an "Ironwood National Monument" proposal — a grove of ironwood trees in southern Arizona — and a Grand Canyon-area proclamation he said had curtailed mining and grazing rights. He said the strategy is to pick initially smaller designations that would set precedent for future actions and that incremental rollbacks are part of his approach. He told commissioners the bill would be heard in committee in September and likely marked up in October.
Commissioners asked about legal authority and the status of case law. A commissioner noted a recent court ruling about standing in a challenge to a presidential monument proclamation; Gosar replied that presidents can rescind proclamations and that Congress retains oversight authority. He said he plans to press congressional oversight committees and to coordinate with regional members of the delegation.
Commissioner Raschglassy and county staff described local mineral and copper projects that are advancing with new extraction technologies. County staff and Gosar discussed how permitting, local jobs and critical-minerals production intersect with monument and public-lands policy.
No formal county votes or policy actions occurred at the meeting. Commissioners and staff expressed interest in providing local information for the congressman's legislative and oversight work.
