- A tool to assert state sovereignty and local control.
CHEYENNE: The Wyoming Liberty Group’s latest Liberty Brief, One Thousand Roads to Liberty, shows that property rights in Wyoming are still protected under a long-overlooked portion of federal law known as RS 2477. This law could enable local and state governments to secure property rights and enhance local control over federally held lands.
“Our report provides a ray of hope for local communities wishing to reassert their sovereignty and regain control over vast federal public land holdings,” said Benjamin Barr, counsel with the Wyoming Liberty Group. “Our report describes an unused legal tool that would allow many states to regain their sovereignty, which means Wyoming can realistically have a say over federal land use policy in the state. In the wake of the Tenth Circuit’s ruling on Friday upholding President Clinton’s “Roadless Rule,” the need for sensible federal public land management matters now more than ever.”
In 1866, Congress passed RS 2477 to provide a right of way to local residents, communities and the state government over federal lands without having to invoke a formal legal claim. Although Congress repealed RS 2477 in 1976, any right of way created before 1976 still exists.
“Readers interested in the protection of private property should pay attention to the legal strategy described in One Thousand Roads to Liberty as a means to restore protection against federal abuse,” said Barr. “Citizens in local communities must now step up to the plate to protect their sovereignty because groups opposed to private property protection understand that RS 2477 claims will be forever lost if not acted upon soon.”
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Read the full report here.
For more information, please contact:
Benjamin Barr, Counsel, Benjamin.barr@gmail.com
Maureen Bader, Wyoming Liberty Group, 307-632-7020
