BOISE, Idaho — Commissioners in a rural Idaho county have approved three ordinances aimed at giving them more authority over federal public lands despite warnings from state attorneys that the rules are almost certainly unconstitutional.
Boise State Public Radio reports that the Washington County Commissioners passed the three ordinances on Monday in a 2-1 vote. They purportedly give the county some authority for wildfire and road management on many federal public lands and grant ranchers with grazing permits the ability to mine or log federal land without additional permission.
The Idaho Attorney General's Office warns that the rules probably violate the U.S. Constitution's Supremacy Clause.
