Interesting article on the Red Rock Wilderness Act

[MarvB]

A letter sent to more than 160,000 Utah residents in the past week indirectly links New York Democratic Rep. Maurice Hinchey to "hostile foreign nations" for Hinchey's support of the Red Rock Wilderness Act, a bill to designate 9.4 million acres of public land in Utah as wilderness.

The letter, sent by Utah state Reps. Aaron Tilton and Mike Noel, both Republicans, said Hinchey's proposed legislation would "cost Utah hundreds of millions of dollars" and lead to America becoming "more dependent on energy from hostile foreign nations."

As proposed, the wilderness bill would prohibit motorized activities such as off-road vehicle use, oil and natural gas drilling and mining in areas that include portions of the Uinta Basin, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Capitol Reef National Park, Canyonlands National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and other federal lands in Utah where energy or other development pressures exist.

The original bill designating the wilderness area was actually introduced in 1989 by the late Rep. Wayne Owens (D-Utah), according to Hinchey. More than 240 environmental groups, including the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA), support the measures, and the bills have 171 co-sponsors in Congress.

However, Tilton and Noel said the legislation, if passed, "will raise the cost of energy and drive monthly bills higher -- hurting low-income families the most." Hinchey "doesn't trust Utahns to do the right thing on lands in our state." They called SUWA "an extremist political group" that is "fueled by millions of dollars from out-of-state extremists and Hollywood elites."

The bill would "WEAKEN America," the letter stated. "How? Because it will hamstring our ability to produce American energy right here in Utah. That leads America to become more dependent on energy from hostile foreign nations -- some of whom fund terrorist organizations that are right now targeting our American men and women in uniform."

Tilton and Noel urged Utah residents to sign an online petition at www.stoputahlandgrab.org. The website goes further in slamming Hinchey, linking him with photographs of Osama bin Laden, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

"These terror leaders also want America to continue its foreign oil dependence," reads a caption accompanying the photos.

SUWA lawyer Steve Bloch said the message "clearly is intended to incite, and using this extreme language that is part of the reason AAE [Americans for American Energy] has been panned by so many state and local governments and even members of industry across the West. To equate SUWA's work and the efforts of over 160 members of Congress to terrorism is simply beyond the pale."

Schnacke defended AAE's work. "I don't think it crosses that line or any line that's inappropriate," Schnacke said in a statement about the website. "What the campaign highlights is the growing disconnect in this country between politicians that are trying to enact policies that are in our view very hurtful to the U.S. economy by hamstringing our ability to produce energy at home."

When domestic oil and natural gas production declines, Schnacke noted that the United States has to "import more, and some of that money does go to governments in unfriendly countries, and some of that money does flow through to terrorist organizations and that is a fact of life."

...and some of that money does go to governments in unfriendly countries, and some of that money does flow through to terrorist organizations...
Ahhhh yeah? ...and the same thing happens when you shop at WalMart... Anybody care to quantify "some" ????? |oo

 

[Oak]

If we don't drill, then the terrorists have won.

 

[BuzzH]

All a smokescreen to support roading every last piece of public lands so the fat-assed atvers can enjoy "multiple use".

One choice, designate it wilderness and dont compromise a single acre for extractive uses.

We've compromised away a vast majority of public lands already.

 

[MarvB]

Yeah it's pretty near embarrassing the way this played out....if the public buys into these ass clowns (to steal from Buzz) then the sheeple have even less on the ball than I have kept a faint glimmer of hope over!

I mean c'mon..I don't usually have the back of NY politicos but slamming Hinchey and linking him with photographs of Osama bin Laden, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad???
Wondering if they were out riding quads together?

...damn out-of-state extremists trying to tell the u-tards not to chit in their own backyard! :BLEEP: (note- sarcasm here for those failing to recognize it)

 

[1_pointer]

I don't know where Tilton is from, but I do know Noel is from So. UT and I'd bet a couple of beers that Tilton is too... Funny how many of these areas already recieve about as high of protection as they can get.