California lawmakers push Interior Department to reject Yosemite land swap
A coalition of California lawmakers urged the Interior Department to reject a proposed land exchange that would permit a Nevada developer to construct a short access road into Yosemite National Park. The legislators warned the deal could set a precedent for privatizing protected lands.
The Interior Department had been evaluating a swap of a quarter-mile parcel inside Yosemite for federal land elsewhere, a proposal supported by the department but opposed by National Park Service officials, park employees, several senators and conservation groups such as the National Parks Conservation Association. Earlier reports noted that the National Park Service was negotiating the exchange and that the plan had drawn criticism from environmental advocates.
