Today, Members of the Utah Delegation sent a letter to President Obama expressing strong opposition to the use of the Antiquities Act to create a national monument within San Juan County. The land in question covers 1.9 million acres in southeastern Utah. The letter encourages the president to support the locally-driven, ongoing Public Lands Initiative (PLI) process instead of unilaterally designating a monument.
Letter signatures include Senator Orin Hatch (R-UT), Senator Mike Lee (R-UT), Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01), Rep. Jason Chaffetz (UT-03), Rep. Chris Stewart (UT-02), and Rep. Mia Love (UT-04).
Key excerpts from the letter:
“Federal land-use policy has a major impact on the lives of those residing within and near federal lands. We believe the wisest land-use decisions are made with community involvement and local support. This principle is true whether skyscrapers or sagebrush surround the community.
“Use of the Antiquities Act within will be met with fierce local opposition and will further polarize federal land-use discussions for years, if not decades.
“Make no mistake, both the State of Utah and San Juan County value our public lands. With that said, public participation in land-use decisions is critical to their long-term acceptance and success; the most effective land management policy is inclusive and engaging, not veiled and unilateral.”
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