The Salt L ake Tribune A4 UTAH Monday, January20, 2003 San Rafael Contentions Cast parcels, is at a critical crossroads, and they say they are workingon“institu tional changes.” With more thanhalfof theInterior lepartment's appraisers eligible for retirement within five years, there are discussions on Capitol Hill of turning job over to private, third-party contract appraisers to avoid possible ntimidation of staff appraisers by posal for a newnational monument. Radanovich’s subcommittee held a hearing on thebill a week later. “The easy way out wouldbe to get rid of this program, but it is too im inanagers. portant, and this agency is too good to Another proposal is to combine all federal appraisers in a new indepen. let this program drag it into the ground,” he said dent office, isolated from the manage- breakthrough? Maybe, but in the big: ger picture, managers have to use life experiences to make these judgments.” While critical of the BLM’s track record on land exchanges, activists are loath to contemplate one sug: gested solution: letting Congress leg, islateall future large land exchanges. The BLM consummates exchanges administratively under provisions of the Federal Land Management Policy Act, which requires trades of “equal value" and provides for environmen: tal impact analysis and public plexity of the deals rialit difficult to Critics say the BLM's exchange programcan be successfully retooled but agency officials lack the commitment “Who is dragging this program into the ground?” said Janine Blaeloch, executive director of the Western Land Exchange Project in Seattle. As the external debate simmers, with the appraisers, but it isa problem involvement A congressionally mandatedtrade withall the politicos in Washington who try to interfere with the work ment structure of agencies seeking valuationsof federal property Cannon would like to see large state-federal exchanges “mo ved en from evaluations becaus validate equality inside the BLM someappraisers they are now “treatedlike the enemy” hy hivher-ups for calling attention to skewed valuations. And some manag, Ors say their decision-making has been hamstrung by a group of dis: rruntled employees exploiting a his torically flawed system, is a growing reluctance among, some state BLM directors to pursue future land exchanges because of new levels of review that delay the tedious, costly processes that lately all “They keep implyingthis is a problem. crats wer defeated in the gen eral ection Three more Dem ocrats were forced out by redistricting. leader nate Steve Majority Poulton, R Holladay, was the only Repub: lican incumbent defeatedin the November election. Three Re publicanslost in convention or primary contests Although Poulton would rather have won his tough election fight against Democrat Patrice Arent, hesaid, hefeels a certain amount ofrelief as the legislative session gets under When BLM officials in Washington reviewed those valuations, they too Utah BLM staff had radically overes: timatedthe valueof mineral reserves, “There werefolks here wholooked at those oil shale assumptions and signedattitude, “It's Kind of like being a Mormon bishop and I'm re leased now,” said Spencer, who. recuperate ‘om his ouster in the Davis County Conventionin April While he may venture back to the Hill to pushfor certain of golf, From a pure selfish stand. point, life is lots better now. 1 or lose, just being in the game, that’s whereit is “The reality is life goes on and the legislative process goes the final arbiter of what is in the and said, ‘Yes!’. ers in the Capitol, He expects to join their ranks in the coming ks, lobbying forabill to in retirement benefits for law enforcement officers. A credit union executive, he also get involved in the brew. ing al war between banks and credit unions “Th ere’s a lot of big issues up there this year, andI feel unfortunate that | can’t be up there to work on them”as a legislator, Ray said. “It gets in newpolitical post since his Department under Babbitt, discounts MacDonald's allegations. “MacDonald, in my judgment, was simply incompetent,” Shea said. “There is such a thing as a political appraisal, and thatis if the congressional delegation, the governor and the secretary all agree, everyone goes along unless it shocks the public conscience,” Ed Hastey, whoretired from the BLM after 42 years,thelast 20 as Cali. fornia state director, said land man agers must havethe freedom to chal. lenge or discountstaff assessments in making multiple-use decisions. “I've seen some pretty lousy ap- 7 praisals done by our people, and there is nothing wrong with managers rais. ing objections to their conclusions,” Hastey said. “In any organization, you have these pockets of employees who feel you are not paying enough heed to them and they want a vertical organi. zation, You just can't operate public lands that way.” Cannon contends there is little harm if a state-federal land exchange does comeoutin the state's favor because the beneficiaries are Utah's public schools, “The people who suffer when these exchanges are blocked are the school kids in Utah, and the people whoben: efit are the groups that wantto lock up publiclands,” hesaid. Blaeloch saysit is unfair for Utah schools to reap windfalls from biased exchanges of lands owned . I've said, ‘Patty, wipe that smileoff your tion in the way the Republican majority runsthings, including dramatically changing his vot ing in redistricting. “I'm not going to miss watching the majority go be: hindcloseddoorsfor hourafter hour on the public's nickel,” Allensaid. “I have great respect for democracy, but | don’t think it’s working very well in Utah.” Rep. Cindy Beshear, D ‘Taylorsville, echoes the sentiment. “A one-party system is not good,” said Beshear, who works as alegal assistant for herat torney husband. “It's not good whether it's Arkansas {her homestate] and the Democrats are in charge or Utah and the Republicans are in charge. It by all Americans. “Can my state have that $100 mil lion, too?” she asked,“If the Utah del egation wants to do this kind of ex- “Those two exchanges were bigger rip-offs than this San Rafael deal, but the political pressureis always on to change,then takethelies out ofthe bill make these cases go no matter how habitats andtell us the truth so the bad they are,” said Jack MacDonald, American public can decideif it’s really worth it.” the retired chiefappraiserfor the Utah that this is an equal exchange and doesn't include endangered species have to explain to other good old boys, and they think that’s perfectly OK.” Peterson has developed a course on the legislative pro- cess and lobbying that she hopestoteach through the high school community education program, and, perhaps, com AFTON BRADSHAW Newly retiredfrom House tonsbetterof the Legislature] was pensive thing to do for me, Allensaid. “The morning after the election, my wife woke up face,it's embarrassing,’ " But Allen admits to frustra growing corps ofpaid persuad for lands and mineralsin the Interior the time, but at least the voice was there.” full time as a medi “Personally, I'm That's for sure, They've got enough lobbyists up there,” Spencer said Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, is less soured on thelarge and paidlobbyist the west desert land exchanges, each of which poured millions of dollars into the coffers of the state Institutional Trust Lands Administration, whichin turn doles out the funds to Utah public schools, gust 1997 to November 1998 before being named deputy assistant secretary “Salt Lake City now has novoicein [the Republican] caucus. They didn’t listen to meall pointed in August to fill a vacancy. Sen, Ed Allen, D-Ogden, meanwhile, is bac! off swapsof federal lands for state school trust lands: the GrandStaircase and whoserved as BLM director from Au doing things that they don’t now serves on the Clearfield his pet issues, he won't return i eeale UGLY GROUT? have no bitterness, no animost. ty, no regrets. Whether you win ited administrative authority with Congress’ broadlegislative authority to complete land swaps. “The report gives the impression to read hat there is something nefarious about a negotiated land exchange process in which appraisers re not City Council after being ap- “hverything gets neglected and zines | haven't been able to. 1 Hughes said. technological not an administrative exchange, and critics have confused the BLM's lim: defeat in the June primary. He way “It's just a tremendous com mitment of time y from family and busine id it be. comes your whole Ii he said now. I've started reading books again and | can read the maga mitted, and unless it changes drastically, the agency will probably support the new bill. Former BLM employees say the versy generated by the San Rafael Swell trade. Agency officials and members of Congress say the San Rafael deal wasalegislative exchange, assumption your blood, and it’s hard to walk away from.” But he already has found a it just consumes you ve got time on my hands Hughes said the BLM reviewed and supported theoriginal San Rafaelexchangewhen thele; tion was sub- lously unrealistic the value ofoil shale reserv federal lands offeredin the San Rafael trade because extractingthe oil from theshaleis not currently feasible. Sen. ‘Terry Spencer, R Layton, has a similarly re ay Natural Resources. Deputy Director Andthatis the rub for the BLM's Washington bosses over the contro- on and when it’s all over with, move on,” as BLM Director Kathleen Clarke has exchangenegotiations becauseof her formerpositions on Hansen'sstaffand as director of the Utah Division of ‘Are They Crazy?': Cannon said Utah BLM appraisers made“ridicu psychologically Suazo, who served out the un. expired term of her late hus band, P is beck and tao other Demo: seeking comment. recused herself from any Utah land line between an administrative land has had months to of the Democratic minority re tired voluntarily Sen, Alicia ple for public land trades that doesn't relate at all.” Foundation Director David Bunton did not return acall exchange and a legislative land exchangeblurred when former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt and Leavitt engineered two of the biggest-ever went, ‘Are they crazy?’ “Could there be a had their fill of the part-time Legislature. Only one member: havior in creating this bad-boy exam that the public be consulted beyond the standard legislative process. own internal review of the program and preparingto hold a series of public @ Continued from A-L authorized by Congress as the source of appraisal standards and profes. sional qualifications, has been “hu: miliated by their totally bizarre be- value, and there is no requirement cametothe sameconclusion, that the Kx-Lawmakers Adjust to Role Out of Capitol is not required for parcels of equal ‘Bizarre Behavior’: Cannon said the Appraisal Foundation, which is these professionals are tryingto do.” seem to end in contr Ys “Do wehave aninstitutional prob Jom? Yes, wedo, Is it fixable? I don't know," said BLM Deputy Director Jim Hughes, who is directing the agency's Former gruntled employees.” Salt Lake City attorney Pat Shea, would facilitate a now abandoned pro- hearings around the country on the future of land exchanges. bers. We would say, ‘That's unethical were hard to work with, we were dis- City, Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt announced the proposed land swap to the news media and his supportof the bill because it Al Hartmann/Tribunefile photo The San Rafael Swell is a land of towering layers of water-carved sandstone.Efforts to put 102,000 acres of San Rafael under federal management in exchange for deeding 137,000 federalacres to the state fell apart amid arguments of the lands’relative values. needed to come up with funny num: and illegal,” and they would say we in the House on June 19, 2002, with fellow Utah Congressmen Jim Hansen and Jim Matheson. On the sameday in Salt Lake Institutional Changes’: BLM offi ils in Washington acknowledge the federal land exchange program, con idered one of their most effective nanagement tools by consolidating patchwork land holdings into larger from Washington andtell us the sec retary wants to make this go and we exchange. Cannonintroduced the exchange bill noratorium on exchanges until a comprehensive overhaul”ofthepro ramis completed lhere tor general investigations of the ex changes. “We had people come out never meant to be an administrative @ Continued from A-1 lirely away” BLMwhose protests triggered inspec- Radanovich, R-Calif., chairmanof the Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands in October, blasting the Appraisal Foundation forits “total fail ure” to recognize San Rafael was Doubt on Swaps the public interest,” wrote Rep. George munity colleges, breeds contempt for the proand it eliminates the grandchildren these days, The moderate Republican andbalances that areso said shewill miss the camara- ary.” Rep. Afton Bradshaw, R-Salt LakeCity, retiredafter 18 years on the Hill, She was the last ofa kind the lone Republican deriein the Legislature and the pressure to constantly learn about new issues. “What I won't missis the bickering, the angry people. Somehowthere is House member representing Salt Lake City, Heroldseat now is in Democratic hands, and she worries more of that now than there used to be,” Sen. Millie Peterson, D-West Valley City, was ousted at the “I don't believe we teach wellin thearea ofcivics how people can get involved,” Peterson said, Beck recalled for her stu: dents her own entry into the mysterious world of citizen lobbying 20-odd years ago. It started with an Ann Landers column, in which the late advice-giver told a reader com. plaining about government; about what that means for the convention aftera redistricting “Quit your belly aching and go up to yourstate Capitol and do something aboutit.” Legislature. They are outnumbered 56-19 by Republicans in Democrats working with Republicans against her, “The good old boys on both capital city, given Democrats’ extreme minority status in the the House and 22-7 in the Senate. “Salt Lake City now has no change that was hatched by sides went after me,” said Peterson, whofor fourof her 12 years in the Legislature was the Then a young mother, Beck gathered up her three young- sters in strollers andset out for the Legislature, voice in (the Republican] cau- only woman cus,” Bradshaw said, “They but at least the voice was there.” Currently, five of 29 senators are women, But “we make them uncomfortable,” Peterson said, “They Years later, she was appointed to a vacant seat and wonre-election twice. “It was a great opportunity to sit at the table,” she says of her timein the Capitol. “Most Bradshaw, who first was elected in 1984, said it was just time to move on. She is spending more time with her have certain ways of communicating and talking kind of like men who jock-talk, The good old boys have a way of Just normalpeople,too.” She hesitated, then added. “Mostof us.” didn’t listen to me all the time, in the Senate, of us state representatives are Sofa Clearance (THE STUFF BETWEENTHE TILES) Tired of moldy, missing, dirty, cracked grout? We clean,seal, repair, regrout & stain/change grout color! FREE ESTIMATES Phe Grout Doctor Grey Outside? ‘Some restrictions SOL-163-0739 may apply wer LOOP DDI II DRO Bn Or UTAH Green Inside! Come in today for our Pot & Plant Sale Houseplants & Pots 25 - 50% OFF Now throughtFebruary 151” : ? FUN BIRTHDAY PARTIES + PREE Gi tor Every Attendee! #911.95 Per Person (Regularly *12.95) “Serving Our Community's Needs” 2051 South 1100 ‘The Heart of $1 House 467-1579 LOPE CLR LOOP COPA MOOP CODA MOO DP ’ \_ “A 127 YEAR HERITAGE OF QUALITY FURNITURE” /