- Location
- Riverton, UT
SL TRIB
Lee criticizes ‘wild lands’ policy
By Thomas Burr
The Salt Lake Tribune
Published: January 6, 2011 05:16PM Updated: January 6, 2011 11:47PM
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Washington • In his first official action, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for a slew of documents surrounding his order to Bureau of Land Management officials to identify and protect swaths of land with wilderness characteristics.
The freshman senator says Salazar’s move — a reversal of a 7-year-old agreement between the Interior Department and Utah — will hinder energy production and increase uncertainty for Utah businesses.
"This order will result in lost jobs, investment and revenues at a time when we can least afford it," Lee said. "I will not sit idly by while the federal government puts a choke hold on our most valuable resources."
In December, Salazar, flanked by representatives of outdoor-recreation companies, essentially set aside a settlement between then-Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt dubbed, "no more wilderness." The new policy allows BLM to place public lands deemed to have wilderness characteristics in a new category that offers more protection.
About 6 million acres in Utah could be affected.
Interior Department spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said officials are reviewing the letter but that Salazar’s goal is to "restore balance" to the management of public lands and follow through with BLM’s duty to protect wilderness resources.
"We look forward to working with Congress, moving forward, so we can make wise choices, informed by science, for our children, grandchildren and future generations," Barkoff said.
Utah’s other Republican federal officials howled at Salazar’s move in December. Lee’s letter marked the first such action since he was sworn in Tuesday.
tburr@sltrib.com
http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/sites/sltrib/pages/printerfriendly.csp?id=51000111
DES NEWS
The wilderness skunk
Published: Friday, Jan. 7, 2011 12:00 a.m. MST
With the recent dictate from the Department Of Interior in reference to BLM land in Utah, I have to wonder as to the legal term of "wilderness." First we had wilderness, then "wilderness study areas," "wilderness-like areas," "wilderness type areas," "wilderness value areas," "wilderness attribute areas," and areas with wilderness characteristics.
They seem to have run out of wilderness designations, so now the DOI-BLM is going to call them wild lands. These designations close land to multiple use — recreation, hunting, fishing, four-wheeling, mineral extraction, grazing, etc. — that will only cause Utah further economic problems. Just remember, a skunk by any other name smells the same.
Jack Johnston
South Jordan
Lee criticizes ‘wild lands’ policy
By Thomas Burr
The Salt Lake Tribune
Published: January 6, 2011 05:16PM Updated: January 6, 2011 11:47PM
.
Washington • In his first official action, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has asked Interior Secretary Ken Salazar for a slew of documents surrounding his order to Bureau of Land Management officials to identify and protect swaths of land with wilderness characteristics.
The freshman senator says Salazar’s move — a reversal of a 7-year-old agreement between the Interior Department and Utah — will hinder energy production and increase uncertainty for Utah businesses.
"This order will result in lost jobs, investment and revenues at a time when we can least afford it," Lee said. "I will not sit idly by while the federal government puts a choke hold on our most valuable resources."
In December, Salazar, flanked by representatives of outdoor-recreation companies, essentially set aside a settlement between then-Interior Secretary Gale Norton and Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt dubbed, "no more wilderness." The new policy allows BLM to place public lands deemed to have wilderness characteristics in a new category that offers more protection.
About 6 million acres in Utah could be affected.
Interior Department spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff said officials are reviewing the letter but that Salazar’s goal is to "restore balance" to the management of public lands and follow through with BLM’s duty to protect wilderness resources.
"We look forward to working with Congress, moving forward, so we can make wise choices, informed by science, for our children, grandchildren and future generations," Barkoff said.
Utah’s other Republican federal officials howled at Salazar’s move in December. Lee’s letter marked the first such action since he was sworn in Tuesday.
tburr@sltrib.com
http://www.sltrib.com/csp/cms/sites/sltrib/pages/printerfriendly.csp?id=51000111
DES NEWS
The wilderness skunk
Published: Friday, Jan. 7, 2011 12:00 a.m. MST
With the recent dictate from the Department Of Interior in reference to BLM land in Utah, I have to wonder as to the legal term of "wilderness." First we had wilderness, then "wilderness study areas," "wilderness-like areas," "wilderness type areas," "wilderness value areas," "wilderness attribute areas," and areas with wilderness characteristics.
They seem to have run out of wilderness designations, so now the DOI-BLM is going to call them wild lands. These designations close land to multiple use — recreation, hunting, fishing, four-wheeling, mineral extraction, grazing, etc. — that will only cause Utah further economic problems. Just remember, a skunk by any other name smells the same.
Jack Johnston
South Jordan
