Chip Cravaack: “For far too long--over 30 years, in fact-- Minnesota and its students have been faced with an 86,000-acre problem. When…”

“For far too long--over 30 years, in fact-- Minnesota and its students have been faced with an 86,000-acre problem. When Minnesota became a State in 1858, sections 16 and 36 of every township were set aside in trust for the benefit of schools. The State could use, lease, or sell the land to raise money for education. Then, in the 1970s, the Federal Government created the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. These State school trust lands within the Boundary Waters cannot be timber harvested, leased, or utilized for their minerals. Thus, they are not generating money for the school trust. As a result, approximately 86,000 acres of State trust lands are currently locked within the borders of the Boundary Waters and unable to produce critical funding for Minnesota public education. Ultimately, Congress got us into this situation in the first place, and Congress will have to get us out. On June 8, the Natural Resources Committee's Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, conducted a comprehensive hearing on this legislation. Our goal: preserve and protect the Boundary Waters and allow State-owned school trust lands to raise revenue for Minnesota education through utilizing our timber and mineral resources. It is imperative we resolve this longstanding problem. Minnesota law specifies these lands must earn money for the school trust.…”