Latest news with #Maloy
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump signs resolution allowing for expanded motorized recreation around Lake Powell
Lake Powell is pictured near Page, Arizona on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Photo by Spenser Heaps for Utah News Dispatch) President Donald Trump recently signed a resolution expanding motorized access to remote regions surrounding Lake Powell. The resolution — sponsored by Utah Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy — overturns a policy from the National Park Service that limits where off-road vehicles can drive in parts of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. Under the rule, which was implemented during the Biden administration, conventional vehicles were still allowed to travel existing routes within the recreation area. But about 25 roads amounting to roughly 26 miles were closed to specialized off-road vehicles, like dirtbikes, ATVs or side-by-sides. Maloy and other members of Utah's congressional delegation say the resolution allows for greater recreation opportunities in the area, and criticized the Biden-era rule for going against the will of locals. Opponents to the resolution, which included Democrats in Congress and a number of environmental groups, argue that expanding vehicle access could cause severe damage to the region's most sensitive and pristine environments. 'Orange Cliffs, Gunsight Butte, and Canyonlands National Park's Maze District will be impaired by noisy, destructive off-highway vehicles. It's a dark day for all who love Southern Utah and Glen Canyon's wild places.'' said Hanna Larsen, a staff attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, in a statement last month. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The resolution, which passed the House in April, the Senate in May and was signed by Trump on May 23, invokes the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to review and overturn federal rules. It's the latest in nearly two decades of political back-and-forth over motorized recreation in Glen Canyon. For years, environmental groups criticized the National Park Service for its loose regulation of off-road vehicles around the recreation area. In 2005, groups sued over the lack of enforcement. In 2008, the service settled and agreed to create an off-road vehicle management plan. Then in 2021, the first Trump administration released a new plan that opened up much of the recreation area to all kinds of motorized use. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance sued two years later, arguing the administration's plan failed to take all of the environmental impacts into consideration. The National Park Service settled again, agreeing to close the Lake Powell shoreline to motorized use, unless water levels were 'sustainable.' It also put restrictions on ATV and side-by-side use in certain areas. In January, the park service rule officially went into effect. Maloy said in a statement Tuesday that her resolution was a result of constituent concerns over the rule's 'nonsensical restrictions on motorized access.' 'We took legislative action and, through this (Congressional Review Act), reversed a rule pushed through by the previous administration. Utahns shouldn't be shut out of decisions that affect their own backyard. Now we can continue to recreate in the National Recreation Area. Thank you to our Senators for working with me to get this done for Utah,' Maloy said. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE Utah's two Republican senators, Mike Lee and John Curtis, also celebrated the resolution becoming law. Curtis called it an 'an important step to ensure our public lands remain open to the people.' Lee said it makes it clear that 'environmental groups don't get to dictate our National Recreation Areas through backroom deals.' 'This was a classic case of sue-and-settle policymaking where bureaucrats caved to activists and cut Americans out of the process. That's not how representation is supposed to work,' Lee said in a statement. 'I'm proud President Trump signed this CRA into law.' Managed by the National Park Service, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area was formed in 1972 and borders several national parks and monuments, like Bears Ears, Capitol Reef and Canyonlands. It covers Lake Powell, the second-largest reservoir in the country, which attracts millions of visitors each year. In 2023, the service recorded more than 4.7 million visits.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Glen Canyon off-road and all-terrain vehicle access restored by Trump, Utah lawmakers
WASHINGTON (ABC4) — President Trump signed a law today which overturns a rule that banned the use of certain vehicles in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. A Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn a National Park Service rule which prohibited the use of off-road vehicles (ORVs) and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) on 24 miles of park roads in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area was introduced by three of Utah's elected officials: Representative Celeste Maloy (UT-02), Senator John Curtis (R-UT), and Senator Mike Lee (R-UT). PREVIOUSLY: Rule banning off road vehicles in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area overturned Today, that resolution was signed into law by President Trump, reversing the rule set in place by the National Park Service on February 12th. The original rule restricted the use of ORVs and street-legal ATVs on 24 miles of park roads in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The route includes an 8-mile segment of the Poison Spring Loop and access roads to Lake Powell. Its intention was to protect the environment and visitor experience in the park, but many Utahns were not pleased with it, according to Rep. Maloy. House blocks rule limiting off-road vehicle usage in Glen Canyon 'When Utahns found out that the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area's Travel Management Plan included nonsensical restrictions on motorized access, they reached out for help,' Rep. Maloy said in a press release. Rep. Maloy filed a resolution under the CRA which allows Congress to overturn agency rules with a majority vote in both chambers and within 60 legislative days of the rule being submitted to Congress. It also prohibits the agency from issuing a new rule that is 'substantially the same' as the disapproved rule unless authorized by subsequent legislation. 'We took legislative action and, through this CRA, reversed a rule pushed through by the previous administration,' Rep. Maloy added. 'Utahns shouldn't be shut out of decisions that affect their own backyard. Now we can continue to recreate in the National Recreation Area. Thank you to our Senators for working with me to get this done for Utah.' PBS program Antiques Roadshow films at Red Butte Garden in Salt Lake City Glen Canyon off-road and all-terrain vehicle access restored by Trump, Utah lawmakers 'They stripped her of her humanity': Former nurse dies in assisted living facility after being left unattended for 6 hours Budweiser Clydesdales make appearance with Folds of Honor at Lagoon Park Provo man charged with threat of terrorism after allegedly threatening to blow up Missionary Training Center Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Off-road vehicle access restored in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area
Following a signature from President Donald Trump, the use of off-road vehicles and all-terrain vehicles has been restored on roads in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. On Tuesday, the president signed a Congressional Review Act resolution, which overturns a National Park Service rule that restricted the use of vehicles on 24 miles of road in the recreation area. The resolution was introduced by Utah Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy and Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis. 'When Utahns found out that the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area's Travel Management Plan included nonsensical restrictions on motorized access, they reached out for help,' Maloy said, according to a release from her office. 'We took legislative action and, through this CRA, reversed a rule pushed through by the previous administration. Utahns shouldn't be shut out of decisions that affect their own backyard.' Maloy's resolution was filed under the Congressional Review Act, which allows Congress to overturn agency rules by a simple majority vote in both chambers. This vote has to be done within 60 legislative days of the rule's submission to Congress. The CRA also prohibits the agency from issuing a new rule that is 'substantially the same' as the overturned rule unless authorized by a new piece of legislation. 'This was a classic case of sue-and-settle policymaking where bureaucrats caved to activists and cut Americans out of the process. That's not how representation is supposed to work,' Lee said, according to the release. 'I'm proud President Trump signed this CRA into law — making it clear that environmental groups don't get to dictate our National Recreation Areas through backroom deals. That's exactly what happened at Glen Canyon, and this law puts a stop to it. If it says, 'National Recreation Area' on the map, people should be able to recreate there," the senator added. 'Restoring off-road access in Glen Canyon is an important step to ensure our public lands remain open to the people — not closed off by Washington bureaucrats,' Curtis said. 'I look forward to getting out to Glen Canyon and enjoying its roads with my fellow Utahns.' A National Park Service rule went into effect on Feb. 12, restricting the use of ORVs and street-legal ATVs on a 24-mile section of roads in Glen Canyon. Conservationists had argued the rule protected rare remote locations in the nation, specifically the Orange Cliffs area and other similar areas. 'It's a dark day for all who love southern Utah and Glen Canyon's wild places,'' said Hanna Larsen, staff attorney for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, when the legislation was introduced. The route that will now be opened to vehicles includes an 8-mile section of the Poison Spring Loop and access roads to Lake Powell.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Public lands sale may return to ‘big, beautiful' bill with Mike Lee amendment
St. George, Utah. (Photo by) After a controversial provision allowing the sale of public lands in Utah and Nevada was stripped from a massive spending package, Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee hinted he may try to revive it in the Senate. Utah Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy initially proposed selling nearly 11,500 acres of Bureau of Land Management land in southwestern Utah to Washington and Beaver counties, the Washington County Water Conservancy District and St. George, in addition to 450,000 acres in Nevada. However, amid bipartisan opposition led by Montana Republican Rep. Ryan Zinke — who had said that selling public lands is a line he wouldn't cross — the U.S. House ended up striking the language from the proposed spending package, widely referred to as the 'big, beautiful' bill. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Proposed sale of Utah public land pulled from Congress' budget bill Lee, who chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told Politico's E&E News on his way to cast a vote on Monday he intended to bring back the public lands provisions. Lee's office didn't confirm or deny the plans Tuesday. 'Senator Lee remains committed to advancing Western priorities and ensuring that those who live closest to the land have a voice in how it's managed,' his office wrote in a statement. 'As the process moves forward, he'll continue to advocate for solutions that reflect the needs of Utahns and other Western communities.' However, Lee's comment is already worrying environmental advocates, like Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, who have defended the recreational role of public lands among Americans. 'Senator Lee's avowed and oft-stated hatred of public lands makes him a true outlier in the Senate,' Travis Hammill, D.C. director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, said in a statement. 'His apparent intention to include a public lands sell-off provision in the Budget Bill, which was fiercely opposed in the House, is wildly out of step with what Americans have made clear that they want to see: federal public lands remaining in public hands.' While the provision introduced by Maloy and Nevada Republican Rep. Mark Amodei was met with intense pushback, the 'big, beautiful' bill is poised to undergo changes in the Senate with officials like Lee saying it needs to improve to pass the chamber. In a previous statement, Maloy had defended the proposal, arguing that it would help expand water, transportation and housing infrastructure in southwestern Utah as the region deals with rapid population growth. Officials eye airport expansion, reservoirs and new roads under Maloy's proposed public land sale If allowed to purchase the public lands, St. George officials were considering an airport expansion; Washing County Water Conservancy District planned to build a new reservoir and Washington County contemplated widening some roads. After the proposal was cut from the House's version of the budget bill, St. George City leaders said they planned on working with other lawmakers on the issue. 'We were disappointed that some groups falsely presented this amendment as if it were a land grab,' city leaders said. 'In actuality, the amendment was intended to protect existing critical infrastructure or future critical infrastructure that would be built on already disturbed public lands. Only approximately nine acres would have been used for attainable housing, at a spot adjacent to a future cemetery and an existing residential subdivision.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Sen. Mike Lee considers reinstating language to sell Utah's public lands in massive tax package
WASHINGTON — A proposal to sell off public lands in Utah and Nevada could be revived in the massive tax reconciliation bill making its way through Congress. When asked if he would push to reinstate language selling roughly 11,000 acres of public lands in southern Utah, Sen. Mike Lee told Politico this week: 'Yes.' Although details are not clear on how Lee would move forward with such a proposal, his office told the Deseret News the Utah senator would advocate for handing control of the land to Utahns. 'Sen. Lee remains committed to advancing Western priorities and ensuring that those who live closest to the land have a voice in how it's managed,' a spokesperson for Lee told the Deseret News. 'As the process moves forward, he'll continue to advocate for solutions that reflect the needs of Utahns and other Western communities.' The move comes after the House stripped language to sell more than 211,000 acres across Utah and Nevada amid pushback from some Republicans who threatened to vote against the full reconciliation package if it was included. The original amendment was led by Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy, R-Utah, who drafted the provision upon request from officials in Washington and Beaver counties, who would have facilitated the sale. Maloy told the Deseret News she was unaware of any efforts to revive that language as the Senate begins deliberations on the reconciliation package. About 63% of Utah's land is owned by the federal government, the most of any state in the country aside from Nevada. The lands that would have been sold make up 'only a third of one percent of federal lands in the state,' according to Maloy. The proposal was met with pushback from some Republicans who have historically opposed public land sales, such as Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., the co-chairman of the newly created Public Lands Caucus. 'There's a lot of frustration down in the West. I understand that,' Zinke said in response to the amendment last month. 'But I prefer the management scheme. And I give an example as a hotel — if you don't like the management of a hotel, don't sell the hotel. Change the management. That's where I sit on that position.'
