Utah owning more of its state. I think this could be good? Bad?
- Thread starter kmboren
- Start date
- Location
- West Bountiful, UT
Maybe. But I don't really find "easier to sue" all that comforting.
- DAA
- DAA
- Location
- West Bountiful, UT
You know, if that's all that ended up happening. I wouldn't be thrilled. But I'd just buy my annual pass every year to go along to get along and go on about my business.
And as Mr. Kevin noted, I'm no fan of the BLM either.
The BLM is a bureaucracy. As such, the true north and prime motivator of the BLM is to perpetuate and expand the power of the bureaucracy. It's what the bureaucrat does. It's what bureaucracy's do. Their assigned "mission" is secondary and subject to political whim. I view the BLM as a threat to my way of life. No fan...
But our state legislature. And more specifically, the people who have the ears of our state legislature. If they were not just in charge of, but "owned" the public land I enjoy. I would view them as more than a threat. More like a menace. Their true north, their prime motivator, is making bank. And running campgrounds and charging to run trails might not be the best way to make bank on some of the public lands I enjoy. If Utah owned them, and it would make money to sell them and take them away forever, that's exactly what I would expect that organism to do. It's what they are. It's what they do.
I don't like the BLM at all. And it's not that I trust them, either. It's just that their ability to just take it away forever, for profit, isn't as easily accomplished as state ownership of the land. State owns it and it is literally just theirs to do what they want with. That makes me queasy.
- DAA
anderson750
I'm working on it Rose
- Location
- Price, Utah
BLM charges for camping at Temple Mountain as well as Buckhorn right now
- Location
- Never Far From Nowhere
My initial reaction was what many of you have said; no. Utah is run lock stock and barrel by developers (look at the prison move and point of the mountain as an example) and they'd just sell off every parcel they could to build condos on. But I've ruminated on this for a the past week and have come to a slightly different conclusion.
The BLM sucks, lets get that out of the way up front. I deal with the BLM a fair amount these days, and while some individuals are fine, the organization is just so poorly run from the top that there's no way that individual field offices can really do their jobs in any effective way. Most field offices are understaffed and underfunded. The agency as a whole spends something like 40-50% of its entire budget on litigation, which is insane and a big reason why they don't "manage" the land, they just close stuff. They don't have the money and they don't have the people.
I think that if this case is picked up by SCOTUS, it won't be a clear cut decision. As in, they won't boot the BLM out and hand all the land "back" to Utah. What I think is more likely outcome is that some of the BLM's overreach will be rolled back or curtailed, such as WSA's that have been sitting there for 30 years will be removed and years long "temporary" closures lifted. And perhaps a prohibition on further wide reaching management plans that are opposed by the State on stuff like economic or cultural grounds. So for example, the BLM will still "manage" the land, but if they want to close hundreds of miles of roads that are claimed by a county, the State might get precedence instead of the BLM just being able to close it on their own due to the negative economic impact it would have on the counties tourism industry.
Ultimately, I think that this is a good exercise. I think that whatever the outcome might be, it's going to change the way that our lands are managed and force the BLM to make concessions. Could there be negative consequence from this, absolutely. But I'm choosing to be positive and think that net/net, this could be a win.
The BLM sucks, lets get that out of the way up front. I deal with the BLM a fair amount these days, and while some individuals are fine, the organization is just so poorly run from the top that there's no way that individual field offices can really do their jobs in any effective way. Most field offices are understaffed and underfunded. The agency as a whole spends something like 40-50% of its entire budget on litigation, which is insane and a big reason why they don't "manage" the land, they just close stuff. They don't have the money and they don't have the people.
I think that if this case is picked up by SCOTUS, it won't be a clear cut decision. As in, they won't boot the BLM out and hand all the land "back" to Utah. What I think is more likely outcome is that some of the BLM's overreach will be rolled back or curtailed, such as WSA's that have been sitting there for 30 years will be removed and years long "temporary" closures lifted. And perhaps a prohibition on further wide reaching management plans that are opposed by the State on stuff like economic or cultural grounds. So for example, the BLM will still "manage" the land, but if they want to close hundreds of miles of roads that are claimed by a county, the State might get precedence instead of the BLM just being able to close it on their own due to the negative economic impact it would have on the counties tourism industry.
Ultimately, I think that this is a good exercise. I think that whatever the outcome might be, it's going to change the way that our lands are managed and force the BLM to make concessions. Could there be negative consequence from this, absolutely. But I'm choosing to be positive and think that net/net, this could be a win.
Houndoc
Registered User
- Location
- Grantsville
I am doubtful it would be much different under Utah management. A new, large state agency would need to be created. Expensive. New staff hire. Difficult. And you can bet there will be lawsuits both by those pushing for more access and those trying to protect the environment.
- Location
- The Village of Kay
FIFY.
Very good points. A lot to think about.
The "go for all" approach may just end up in a compromise that benefits the Utah public quite well, at least let's hope for that much.
glockman
I hate Jeep trucks
- Location
- Pleasant Grove
I just misplaced my checkbook
