Letter to the Editor: Reconsider a National Monument?

Dear Editor:
National Conservancy Special Use All Inclusive designation through Congress is the plan that Congressman Curtis is willing to sponsor, as per the citizens of Emery County’s wants, needs and desires. Proceed through Congress with the attempt to get the government to approve along with the funding. This will be a completely new category and a new designation. Congressman Curtis was explaining that fact to the Castle Country OHV Association members during Melon Days in Green River last weekend.
It’s a tough process to get Congress to do anything these days. There is such a division. The Democrats are busy obstructing Trump’s initiatives and the Republicans are trying to appease the public accepting special interest donations.
One comment Curtis made Saturday, that reverberates through the canyon walls as I tread no man’s land, “People of Emery County are very patient,” a statement well-understood. How many years have we been working on and doing something with our Castle country lands? Public vote proposition was actually put up for popular vote 10 years ago and the voters said no to becoming a National Monument.
We are all scared to death of government and rightly so, I suspect. Therefore, we must get creative and protect our interest in the land. While we are doing that the Red Rock Wilderness Bill going to Congress, ahead of anything we are doing, demanding thousands of acres of unspecified lands in our county.
The local public opinion of National Monument designation is negative. The regulations President Obama imposed and other injunctions to keep people from developing in favor of their needs and uses have caused great problems in our county. The regulations have restricted jobs in our area and totally prevented growth and stimulation for the local economy.
President Trump is patiently waiting for someone to drive a project through and get things started locally. President Trump can eliminate those regulations causing our economy to stalemate. It’s important to get our representative agencies, including a good attorney to initiate a project that can be implemented and get some things done.
National Monument designation was put into place by the government at the wishes and desires of local citizens by their representatives in Congress. It is a special designation, enacted to prevent National Park status. Every interest in the area whether it be the cattleman’s association, four-wheel off road association and even business entities can write up their usage permit.
If you designate a large area, National Monument and local interests are the directors. We have full control. Anyone that wants to come into our area has to gain permission from the local administrators, the BLM, forest service, wilderness association and any other well funded agencies that can build an information center, jointly, just like the one they built in the Grand Staircase National Monument in Escalante. It’s a beautiful building.
A personal survey and public polling of the land owners and citizens affected by the monument have shown that the people down there love the national monument situation. They are all happy, but for a few grumblers. Don’t be scared of the National Monument because it is controlled by local interests, by their organizations. This is pure beautiful democracy at work.
The Grand Staircase information center employees 30 or more. I wanted to say closer to 50 people. There are many more jobs created through that system. We need jobs…Right? Lastly we need to get our legal office working on redacting those regulations that have us strapped down. Let’s build something.
Craig Anderson
Emery