| Show Bennett Benne Hits Delay Of State Stole Park Pork Program Sena Sena- JOT or Wallace F F. Bennett Dennett Utah R-Utah Nis Is week charged the Administration Admin AdmIn- with blocking transfer land to the state of Utah for fora forstate state a e parks arks and said that at the present rate It wilt will t take 1602 years before Utah will wilt obtain title to the acres for tor which It has applied In a letter to Secretary of the Interior Stewart L L. L Udall Sen Sen- ator Bennett Dennett noted that only 20 ro roa a acres s h hA hats w been beton transferred to the state stale atnee January 1961 although the state is entitled to acquire acres aers each year This failure adds to a growing Sen- Sen suspicion In Utah which 1 I hope Is not true that your Department Department Depart Depart- art art- ment Is deliberately sabotaging the State Stale Park Program he M said Senator Bennett Dennett who wrote the law authorizing the tM transfer of lands to the states for state park purposes said This effort by the state is Intended to pro protect prod ro- ro teet preserve and make accessible accessible accessible sible to tourists many of the matchless scenic areas of the State of Utah Thousands of visitors are arc expected to visit these areas and to bring added wealth to the communities InvolVed InvolVed In- In throughout hout the state This cannot be done unless the Department of Interior moves promptly to correct Its sorry record of delay and I 1 fear neglect neglect neglect ne ne- In getting this splendid program under way At the present pres pres- present ent rot pace the Department Is Js stifling economic growth In Utah The Utah senator said the susn suspicion sus of sabotage of the state park program by the department depart ment is given further credence by what has happened In connection connection connection con con- with the Dead Horse Point area An initial acres were transferred to the state for the Dead Horse Point State Park under the Eisenhower administration ad add ministration he said This was followed under your administration administration admin admin- by an announcement on February 3 1961 1661 that the state could develop a acre state park on the plateau west of Moab in connection with the Dead Horse Point area Your Director of Land Management Karl Landstrom made a special visit to Utah to announce this great new concept which was lavishly praised by the other members of the Utah delegation Congressman King called the plan a refreshing departure from the policies of years of bureaucratic obstructionism Senator Bennett said however however how how- ever that since the King state state- ment was made we In Utah have been subjected by your department department department de de- de- de the to-the to the most concerted campaign of bureaucratic obstructionism obstructionism ob ob- ob wit wit- I have ever Not only has has has' the acre state park failed to materialize but not even a single sing sing- le acre has been added to the acre state park created under under un un- der del the Eisenhower tion Noting that the In February February Feb Feb- of 1961 established a freeze on most types of land transfers except for state parks purposes Senator Bennett said sald that by now the previous backlog backlog backlog back back- log should have been cleared up and that the bureau with Its increased personnel should be beable beable beable able to process all of the state applications application rapidly If it it so de de- de- de sires |
