OriginalOscar
Active member
My prediction has been and still is, Utah will be the litmus test for transferring Federal lands to the State. The continual Republican rant is that states can better manage the resources such as logging but they always, conveniently leave out the fact that State Land isn't Public Land and your right to access isn't open to public debate.
[
https://www.facebook.com/GovGaryHer...EYTi6j3z1O-eq1G9WgRheCFiJYO8LIq0dHdQ4&fref=nf
Governor Gary Herbert
December 4 at 5:14pm ·
Dear Utahns,
This has been a momentous day for Utah. I understand that while many of you are happy today, many are hurting and angry. While some of you are breathing a sigh of relief, others might be worried, picturing oil rigs in front of petroglyphs. Thank you all -- whatever side you fall on -- for making your voices heard. I am proud to say that Utahns love their public lands, and that they express that love and raise their voices.
If you are angry or disappointed in today’s decision, know this:
1. Although monument boundaries were changed, the Antiquities Act continues to protect hundreds of thousands of acres where there are extraordinary archeological and paleontological objects deserving of national monument status.
2. All the lands under discussion are still federal public lands, with specific enhanced land use protections. That will not change.
3. Energy development is not on the table in the Bears Ears Region. (You can read more here: http://bit.ly/DeptNatResourcesBearsEars)
4. Utah has a lasting commitment to protecting and conserving these public lands for coming generations, and for Native American tribes. The state of Utah is asking for congressional legislation to guarantee meaningful and lasting protection of these lands.
5. This legislation will also push for real co-management of the Bears Ears region for Native Americans with ancestral ties to this region. The monument provided just an advisory role.
6. National Monument designation does not automatically protect lands from looting, but adequate funding of the BLM will. The BLM has the power to enforce already existing federal law in these regions, and additional funding will provide better protection. The legislation our delegation is drafting will also aim to better support the BLM. (You can read more here: http://bit.ly/5MythsAboutBearsEars .)
7. Strong protections for the federal public lands that Utahns know and love are still in place. Specifically, nearly 450,000 acres of “wilderness study areas” in the Bears Ears region and nearly 800,000 acres of “wilderness study areas” in the Escalante region prohibit most motorized travel, construction of new roads and all development of oil, gas or coal. These wilderness study areas include many of the region’s iconic locations.
While there has certainly been a wide variety of opinion throughout this issue, I hope and trust that Utahns will remain engaged and involved in the process of protecting our public lands. Together, we will ensure these lands are protected and conserved. Since these lands are still under federal control, we need to pursue legislation on a national level. I hope you will stay engaged, and consider contacting Utah’s congressional delegation in support of legislation to preserve the beautiful and wild areas in question in perpetuity.
Thank you,
Governor Gary R. Herbert/QUOTE]
Our public lands need balanced — not extremist — leadership = Governor Herbert
Last edited by a moderator: