Resolution Urges Congress to Leave Utah's Wilderness Alone

Feb 07, 2008 by Elizabeth Ziegler

(KCPW News) The future of 9 million acres of public land is in limbo. Congress is considering declaring the Utah parcels federal wilderness, including acreage in the Uintah Basin. In response, Utah lawmakers are moving a resolution that sends a clear message to Congress - "keep your hands off our land."

"It's frustrating to me that so many of these discussions come from people who are not from the West, (not) from Utah certainly," Ogden Representative Kerry Gibson says. "I think that many of these people would be highly offended if we came into their state and designated large swaths of their state as unaccessable [sic]. It's quite offensive."

Gibson and his colleagues on the House Natural Resources Committee voted unanimously Wednesday for the resolution. H.J.R. 10 urges Congress not to designate additional wilderness areas in Utah without the support of the state's congressional delegation. It also stresses such a wilderness designation could tie up the state's untapped energy resources. However, designated wilderness areas and energy speculation are not mutually exclusive, according to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. The group's attorney, Stephen Block, says the vast majority of new oil and gas drilling is not slated for the land in question.

"I think it's entirely consistent to protect these public lands here in our state at the same time that we have a very robust energy sector," Block says.

The bill garnered the support of the Utah Petroleum Association, Responsible Energy Developers and the Farm Bureau, which represents ranchers whose income depends on grazing cattle on public lands. A link to the full text of the resolution is available on our Web site, kcpw.org.

1. Anonymous said:

Since when does SUWA believe in having a robust energy program in Utah? This is the same organization that is continually patting itself on the back for trying to shut down the oil and gas leasing program that the BLM is federally mandated to maintain. Steve Bloch is lying about the intentions of his organization. Just Google his name and you'll see what I mean.

2. Geezer said:

Actually, large acreages have been designated as wilderness in many of the states whose legislators are supporting America's Red Rock Wilderness Act. Most of the oil/gas leases issued by BLM in Utah have not been opposed or protested. Lands of high value for wildlife and wilderness should have been excluded from the leasing program, in the public interest.

3. Michael T Packard said:

I think it is a great idea...right after New York reclaims 1,000,000 acres of the Adirondacks to wilderness... and sends us the proceeds of the land sales.

When Utahns go to New York State, we deserve to be able to visit some wilderness, too.

4. J D said:

GO UTAH! What insight. It's incredibly refreshing to see that people are starting to understand the ramifications of federal wilderness designation. Now if we could get New Mexico to do the same...!

5. Geezer said:

In response to Michael Packard: New York has the Adirondack Park, and more than 2.6 million acres within the park are owned and managed by the state as wilderness. New York's Constitution directs that these lands "...shall be forever kept as wild forest lands."