Western Republicans roll out ‘jobs frontier’ plan

In advance of President Barack Obama's economic recovery speech to Congress this evening, Western-state Republicans in Congress today rolled out their own agenda advertised to create jobs.

Republicans repackaged 38 bills into a "jobs frontier" plan.  Most of the proposals reflect familiar GOP themes of increasing energy exploration by streamlining federal licensing and permitting rules, and broadening federal land access to hunters, fisherman and recreationalists.

"Western states are not immune to the weakened economy but they can lead us to prosperity," said Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.  With Uncle Sam controlling vast swaths of the West,  "the federal government stands in the way of economic development," said Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.

Some elements of the Republican wish list already have proved to be controversial and will not see passage anytime soon, such as opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration, limiting the president's powers to designate national monuments on public land, and restricting attorneys fees to groups that sue the government over environmental matters.

Included among the bills was one introduced last month that directs the Bureau of Land Management officially to designate 9,000 acres at Nellis Dunes 15 miles northeast of Las Vegas for offroad recreation.  It also would convey 1,200 acres to Clark County to be developed into an off-roader race course.

Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., the bill sponsor who attended the rollout, said raising Nellis Dunes' visibility as a destination for outdoor play will draw more visitors and profit vendors who provide services to the crowds.

"People obviously are going to buy food and buy whatever they need to go out there, camping equipment and everything else," Heller said. "Not only the dunes itself but every business that caters to that kind of recreation."