Utah’s real ‘land grab’

[Coyotl]

Markham: Utah’s real ‘land grab’
By ty markham
First Published Mar 23 2013 01:01 am • Last Updated Mar 23 2013 01:01 am
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/56024594-82/utah-lands-public-state.html.csp

With a residence and business in southern Utah, I have a deep connection to our public lands, and not only because they serve as the anchor for my business and livelihood. The redrock deserts, canyons, towering cliffs and aspen-layered mountains are my soul’s way to transcend the weariness of everyday life.

So I’m not surprised that thousands of Utahns agree that our public lands are a valuable resource. Recent polling by Colorado College’s "State of the Rockies" project shows vast majorities support protection of our public lands. In Utah, 96 percent agree that public lands are essential to the state’s economy. When given the most up-to-date information on proposals to sell off public lands, 67 percent of Utahns are opposed.

....

First, it takes a lot of money to manage that amount of land. Federal agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service spend over $650 million a year to manage our public lands.

Second, our Legislature struggles to find the money just to manage our state parks. So how would Utah find the resources to properly manage another 30 million acres? ...........

[siligut]

1. Is this about the shale oil?

I am not up-to-date or well informed regarding what land the state is trying to grab, but I appreciate this comment:

Michael J Bodell

There is no way we can allow our Tea Bircher, good ol boy insiders and the profiteering corporatists to get ahold of public land. The affinity fraud capital of the United States, A government of extremists and irrational thinkers, a Utah Republican party that denies science and is bereft of any vision or any big picture leaders? A cast of fools making seditious and disgusting seccessionist talk offends me as an American citizen and a native son.

This state needs an ethical enema and some sense of reality.

[Coyotl]

2. Most of the land in Utah is what the state is trying to take.

Utah is mostly federal lands, and the state wants to take all of it away from the American people so they can sell it off to the plutocrats to extract gas, oil, and minerals. This is one of the most overt attempted crimes in history, on a par with Ceasar crossing the Rubicon. The idea is to make a few people very, very rich, and among them are the ones introducing the legislation.

Utah could not possibly afford to manage this land without destroying it.

[siligut]

3. From what I have read, extracting oil from shale is very destructive to the environment

But it would seem that greed has overcome reason. Is it possible that those few people will be able to swing this deal?

With greed and religious isolation in mind, it makes sense that Utah let the federal government pay for care of the land until it became feasible to make money off of it. From what we are hearing about the air pollution problem that already exists, if this land grab is allowed to go through, some areas of Utah will become unhealthy for all living things.

[xtraxritical]

4. Theodore Roosevelt is spinning in his grave!

[Coyotl]

7. There is a lot of natural gass development in that region.

[TeeYiYi]

5. k+r ...nt

TYY

[siligut]

6. The timing of this is very suspect

With the forth phase of the Keystone pipeline awaiting approval.