Arizona conservation advocates release report on potential costs of federal land transfers

A coalition of conservation advocacy groups recently released a new report detailing the potential costs of transferring federally owned lands to the state.

That report, announced on April 4 to coincide with Public Lands Day, found that the transfer of U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands to the state would bring new land-management expenses of about $800 million, as well as a $975 million reduction in the state’s gross domestic product — even after those new expenditures.