Statutory detail and administrative discretion in public lands governance: Arguments and alternatives

This Article explores a central question in public lands governance: should Congress or bureaucracy be primarily responsible for resolving controversial political conflicts over public lands management? The question of institutional venue and decision making legitimacy is receiving increased attention, due in part to a number of high profile environmental conflicts that have been managed through administrative rulemaking and resource planning processes, like the United States Forest Service's (USFS) roadless rule and the issue of snowmobiles in Yellowstone National Park. In short, in what institutional venue should various issues and controversies in forest, park, rangeland, and wildlife management be addressed?