Latest news with #SouthernUtahWildernessAlliance
Yahoo
6 days 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
7 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
03-06-2025
- 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
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sale of Utah's public lands dropped from ‘big beautiful bill'
SALT LAKE CITY () — After several days of meetings, intense negotiations and last-minute changes, House Republicans passed the 'big, beautiful bill.' The bill extends tax cuts enacted by President Donald Trump in 2017, boosts border funding and deportation and imposes Medicaid reforms, among many other provisions. What did not make it into the final version of the bill passed by the House? A . Utah taxpayers may take a hit if 2017 cuts expire The proposal was first put forward by Utah Rep. Celeste Maloy (District 2). It would have allowed for thousands of acres of public lands – including 11,000 acres between Washington County, Beaver County, and Nevada – to be considered for affordable housing projects. Maloy told at the time, the provision to sell public lands was necessary for Washington and Beaver Counties as they could not function due to 'endless red tape on federal lands.' The parcels of land included in the bill would have included thousands of acres near Zion National Park, the Santa Clara River Reserve and the Red Mountain Wilderness. Utah man arrested for allegedly stalking, harassing Salt Lake mayor over pride-themed city flag designs However, after countless negotiations, the proposal was removed from the budget reconciliation bill. ABC4 has made contact with Rep. Maloy's office for comment and is currently waiting to hear back. Cities like St. George told ABC4 they supported the measure and wanted to use certain parcels for the city's growing needs, such as building more water infrastructure, expanding its airport, and providing affordable housing. The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), a nonprofit organization focused on defending Utah's red rock wilderness, celebrated the update as a win. 'As we hoped would be the case, Rep. Maloy's stunt failed. She's just the latest in a long list of politicians with the bad idea to try and sell off public lands,' said Travis Hammill, DC Director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. 'The through line of those failed efforts is this: love of public lands transcends geography and political party. Americans don't want to see these lands sold off and time and time again have risen up to make their voices heard.' Trump's Big Beautiful Bill still has a way to go, however. It will now head to the U.S. Senate, where The Hill reports, including watering down some Medicaid changes and making some tax provisions permanent. Big, beautiful bill heads to the Senate Flags placed at Arlington National Cemetery for Memorial Day Here's Utah's history in the 'Mission: Impossible' franchise House votes to increase SALT deduction American Fork wins second straight 6A soccer title Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
11-05-2025
- Business
- Boston Globe
A Republican push to sell public lands in the West is reigniting a political fight
Who should control such sites has long been a burning source of disagreement in the West, where about half the acreage is under federal control and cities that sprawl across open landscapes face Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The GOP plan is rekindling the fight and generating strong blowback from Democrats and conservationists. They see the measure as a precedent-setting move that would open the door to sales in other states. Advertisement 'We have grave concerns that this is the camel's nose under the tent,' said Steve Bloch with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. 'If it can happen in Utah, if it can happen in Nevada, it's not going to stay here. It's going to spread.' Some Republicans also signaled opposition, setting up a political clash as the budget process moves forward. The majority of land in the House provision is in Nevada, including the counties that encompass Reno, Las Vegas, and the fast-growing city of Fernley, according to maps released by the measure's sponsors, Republican Representatives Mark Amodei of Nevada and Celeste Maloy of Utah. Advertisement Fernley City Manager Benjamin Marchant said the opportunity to buy 12,000 acres of federal land at the edge of the community was 'good news.' The city's size tripled since its incorporation in 2001 and is expected to double again over the next decade, he said. There is hope to emerge as a technology hub, but Fernley needs space to grow. 'We can't even talk about projects when it's federal land,' Marchant said. 'We can't sell what we don't own, and this is the first step.' Other parcels to be sold are farther from developed areas. They include sites bordering Zion National Park and tribal lands such as the Paiute Indian Tribe reservation in Utah and the Pyramid Lake Paiute reservation in Nevada. 'That means the tribe can't grow,' said Mathilda Miller with Native Voters Alliance Nevada, an advocacy group for the state's tribes that opposes the sales. 'They can't reclaim the land that was stolen from their tribe, and it brings development right up to their doorstep.' Roughly 100,000 acres in western Nevada's rural Pershing County could be sold to private companies with mining claims or mining infrastructure, according to Amodei's office. The legislation also requires federal parcels in that area to be exchanged for an equal amount of nonfederal land. Many of the communities near sale locations share a common theme: Their expansion is hemmed in by federal property, which makes up 80 percent of the land in Nevada and 63 percent in Utah. Some states in the Midwest and East have 1 percent or less federal land by comparison. Advertisement Public parcels often are interspersed with private holdings in a 'checkerboard' fashion that further complicates development efforts. Housing advocates caution that federal land is not universally suitable for affordable housing. Generally, the farther away the land is from cities and towns the more infrastructure is required — roads, sewage, public transportation. 'It's a costly way to go because of the infrastructure needs, because of the time it will take,' said Vicki Been of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy at New York University. 'I'm not saying that there's no place on federal lands that would make sense, but one has to really look carefully.' The Republican proposal seeks to identify suitable lands in coordination with local municipalities. That has left some concerned there aren't enough assurances that the land, or enough land, will end up going to affordable housing. 'The devils in the details,' said Tara Rollins, executive director of the Utah Housing Coalition. 'It could just be a land grab. There just needs to be a lot of checks and balances.' The wholesale transfer of federal lands to local or private entities is something many Western conservatives have long sought. Republican officials in Utah last year filed a lawsuit seeking to take over huge swathes of federal land in the state, but they were There also are strong voices within the GOP against public land sales, notably Montana lawmakers Representative Ryan Zinke, who was interior secretary in President Trump's first term, and Senator Steve Daines. Colorado Representative Jeff Hurd was the lone Republican on the Natural Resources Committee to vote against the lands provision. Advertisement The legislation would sell about 10,000 acres of land in two Utah counties. Maloy said it avoids areas that should be conserved and would help ease demand for housing and water, by creating space to build new homes and expand reservoir capacity. Smaller land sales are a common practice for the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management. 'Not all federal lands have the same value,' Maloy said. 'In both Democratic and Republican administrations, for decades, we've been disposing of appropriate lands in a manner that's consistent with what I propose to do here.'
