Utah offers Idaho suggestions for controlling federal lands
Updated 1 p.m. with link to Salt Lake Tribune commentary.
PUBLIC LANDS -- Apparently feeling alone in their brazen bid to take control of federal public land, Utah legislators are courting any greedy Idaho lawmakers who will listen up.
Utah lawmakers told Idaho lawmakers at an informational meeting Monday that Idaho is among the states with second-class status because federal land managers control most of the area within its borders, the Associated Press reports.
The Utah contingent and an attorney also offered Idaho legal arguments they say could be used to gain control of about 30 million acres of federal land within the state.
The group made its presentation before the House Resources and Conservation Committee and the Senate Resources and Environment Committee.
Republican Dell Raybould of Rexburg chairs the House committee and says no legislation is expected to come from the informational meeting this Session.
Utah leaders are weighing whether to sue the federal government for control of public lands. The lawsuit could cost up to $14 million.
Meanwhile, this appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune:
Utah's elected officials should read, and heed, report on economic benefiit of public lands
A new analysis done by Montana-based Headwaters Economics found that rural areas of western states with federal lands nearby do better economically than those counties with little or no federal lands. The survey provides a counterpoint to the argument Utah's elected officials have been using that blame federal ownership of lands for the depopulating of rural areas in the state.
The analysis suggests federal lands, and the resources they provide, should be protected not tossed aside.
