I won’t discuss the budget issues that have created concern over the expiration of a federal law that provides millions for schools and roads in rural areas:

The law will cost West Virginia $2 million if Congress does not agree to reauthorize the program by March.

“It will be very devastating,” said James Law, superintendent of schools for Pocahontas County, where more than half of the county cannot be taxed or developed because it lies within Monongahela National Forest.

“We don’t have income from homes or businesses because we don’t have the population and we don’t have the benefit of use of that land for development,” Mr. Law said.

West Virginia’s state financing for schools is based on the number of students, so low population density hurts the bottom line in rural regions. Rural schools are also spread out over often difficult terrain, meaning districts must pay for long and expensive bus rides.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad we have the national forests. But is West Virginia’s situation not illustrative of problems that can arise when government invests heavily in open space?