Latest news with #HCR12
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion: Beyond control — stewardship of Utah's public lands
Utah's public lands have been highly debated for over a decade with the state and federal governments playing tug-of-war over who should control them. Amid the noise of political posturing, we risk losing sight of what is important: No matter who governs these public lands, what truly matters is how they are cared for. The Utah Legislature has doubled down in recent years. In 2025, House Speaker Mike Schultz prioritized public lands, affirming against federal oversight. That message was followed by HCR12, a resolution introduced by state Rep. Steve Eliason, urging Congress to create a framework allowing states to assume operational responsibility for federal lands. Supporters cite efficiency; opponents fear weakened conservation. But the real concern isn't just about governance but stewardship. Utah is home to world-class recreation, vital mineral resources and vast open spaces. The federal government has shown they will protect these lands, as they have for decades. How would our public lands be managed under state control? In 2024, the governor's office launched the Stand for Our Land campaign, advocating for more state control over public lands. This intensified after the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Public Lands Rule prioritized conservation alongside commercial uses. Utah leaders opposed it, citing restrictions on rural economies, while conservation groups argued it protected ecosystems and balanced priorities. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Utah's petition to assume control over federal lands. Gov. Spencer Cox reaffirmed Utah's commitment to challenge constraining BLM politics by stating that it 'remains able and willing to challenge any BLM land management decisions that harm Utah.' Utah's federal delegation is also taking up the fight. On Feb. 11, Rep. Celeste Maloy introduced the Western Economic Security Today (WEST) Act in the U.S. House of Representatives, which seeks to repeal the BLM's Public Lands Rule. While this debate is framed as a struggle for authority between state and federal governments, the real concern is how the lands are managed. Utah leaders stress stewardship, but history reflects development over conservation. Utah already manages 3.3 million acres of land through the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), which is designed to generate revenue for public schools, juvenile services and miners' hospitals (this amount is down from the original 7.4 million that was allocated at statehood). SITLA leases land for industries to fund education, which comes at the expense of conservation. This raises concerns about state control and how it prioritizes development over preservation. The federal government controls nearly 70% of all Utah land — and for good reason. Managing 22.8 million acres, which includes overseeing wildfire prevention, tourism, maintenance and other infrastructure, costs $247 million annually, per a 2014 report. The federal government has more resources to support those costs compared to the state budget. There are valid concerns about federal control. Bureaucracy slows even widely supported projects. An example is the Bonneville Shoreline Trail, an ambitious 280-mile trail planned to connect central Utah to the Idaho border, offering a way to engage with Utah's natural beauty. By crossing BLM land, forest and private land, the BST faced years of delays until 2022 legislation alleviated restrictions. The BST shows that states streamline projects, but large-scale control is another concern. While the BST's success highlights efficiency, it must not come at the cost of conservation. At the heart of the debate, this isn't about who should own the land. Utah's protected lands are more than a political play — they are recreational spaces, ecosystems and cultural landmarks iconic to Utah. Whether managed by federal or state government, what matters is a promised commitment to stewardship that prioritizes preservation, conservation and long-term responsibility. From Utah's red rock canyons to alpine forest, millions of visitors come near and far to visit our great state. If conservation is not prioritized, irreversible damage could come to pass under the banner of industry and growth. Stewardship isn't just about preserving the past; it's about curating a future where Utah's lands remain beautiful and public for generations to come, in the great state we call home.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
As layoffs and budget cuts hit federal agencies, lawmakers explore taking over some public land
Part of the San Rafael Swell outside of Goblin Valley State Park is pictured on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019. The San Rafael Swell was identified as a region where the Utah could create a new state park or campground in a recent resolution sponsored by Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy. (Kyle Dunphey/Utah News Dispatch) Could Utah jointly manage its five national parks with the federal government? What if a stretch of U.S. Forest Service land in Davis County becomes a new state park? Can Little Sahara Recreation Area be transferred to the state's control? Those are a few of the questions posed in a resolution sponsored by Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, that passed out of the House Public Utilities and Energy Committee on Tuesday morning. HCR12 received one 'no' vote from Rep. Rosalba Dominguez, D-Murray, and will move to the House for consideration. As federal land management agencies, which manage about 68% of the entire state, continue to experience layoffs and budget cuts, Eliason and other lawmakers say the state could swoop in to take control of a handful of areas in Utah. His resolution does the following: Explores the idea of jointly managing the state's five national parks — Arches, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Zion — with the federal government. That would allow the state to 'improve management efficiency and visitor experiences while reducing federal expenditures,' according to the resolution. Directs the Utah Division of State Parks to work with the U.S. Forest Service to turn the Antelope Flat Campground — located on the southeast side of Flaming Gorge Reservoir — into the Flaming Gorge State Park. 'Flaming Gorge is just a fabulous recreation opportunity in the state, but its access is being limited because of the lack of funding and staffing out of Washington, D.C.,' Eliason said. Directs the division to explore the idea of either purchasing, leasing or transferring a stretch of U.S. Forest Service Land in the Wasatch Mountains east of Bountiful, Centerville and Farmington. Located along Skyline Drive, local leaders in the area have proposed naming the area Skyline State Park. Allows the division to work with the Bureau of Land Management to transfer Little Sahara Recreation Area in Juab County to the state. Utah already authorized this transfer through legislation in 2017, but it would require approval from the BLM, which hasn't happened yet. Directs the division to broadly evaluate 'recreational and scenic locations in the state,' to create new state parks, monuments, and campgrounds, with a focus on the Monte Cristo area south of Bear Lake and state land within the San Rafael Swell near Green River. The resolution 'urges' Utah's congressional delegation to enact legislation that would create a framework for these land purchases, transfers or joint management agreements to take place. As of now, the resolution is exploratory. There is no fiscal note, meaning lawmakers don't intend to spend any state funds with the resolution. Eliason called it an attempt to 'gather the facts — what are the costs going to be, what are the challenges?' The resolution is the latest example of state leaders' interest in controlling federal lands within Utah's borders. That sentiment culminated last year in an ambitious lawsuit filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, where Utah tried to argue that it was unconstitutional for the Bureau of Land Management to hold onto federal land without giving it a formal designation. The high court declined to hear the lawsuit in January. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The reasoning outlined in Eliason's resolution is much different than the lawsuit, and during the committee meeting Tuesday morning he pushed back on concerns that this was an attempt by Utah to take over swaths of public land, including national parks. The U.S. Department of Interior, under Biden, moved to jointly manage some public land with tribal governments, including Utah's Bears Ears National Monument, and the agreement Eliason is seeking through his resolution would be similar. 'This is not buying or transferring the national parks to Utah. They remain federally designated national parks, but clearly there is a funding void, and the bureaucracy to get things done is immense,' he said. Eliason said he started working on this resolution before the Trump administration was cutting budgets and laying off thousands of workers with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service and other federal agencies with a footprint in Utah. Now, he said, the goal of taking control of federal land is more pressing. 'As a state, we have a choice, if there was some cooperative arrangement made where we could help mitigate those job losses and those lost recreation opportunities,' he said. 'Because I don't see the federal government addressing it anytime in the near future. So we could just complain and say, 'this is really too bad for our citizens and our visitors.' Or we can say, 'is there a way we can step in?'' Some lawmakers urged caution during Tuesday's meeting, including Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield, who ultimately voted for the bill, but had concerns about the state biting off more than it could chew. 'With the new administration, be prepared for budget cuts. And that's coming true. And that's going to affect the state because the state operates a lot on federal grants,' he said. 'Before we step into the deep water, we need to know how to swim and we need to know where we're headed with some of this stuff.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
