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Show BLM report brought sharp criticism at Moab meeting A report Monday morning by Moab Area BLM Manager, Del Baccus, on the progress of an environmental assessment on the Mill Creek Project, brought a heated exchange from those in attendance at the large breakfast meeting of the Grand County Economic Development Committee. Com-mittee. Mr. Baccus reported that work on the assessment was nearly completed, com-pleted, and that following the required waiting period for public comment, which has now passed, his staff is preparing the final assessment which will lead to the necessary permits so that work can begin. He stated, however, that the Bureau has concern in two areas which they would like cleared up prior to the issuance of permits. The first, he said, was that they needed the Grand County Water Conservancy District to detail for them the projected recreational use of the large reservoir which will be constructed in upper Spanish Valley. Since recreational use will have an impact on adjacent lands under administration of the BLM, he said, it was important to know what plans the District had for recreational use of th facility. The second concern, MR. Baccus stated, was that because the development de-velopment of a project of this magnitude in upper Spanish Valley will have a dramatic affect on ail lands in the valley, the BLM was concern,.,) that Grand County and San Juan County adopt "adequate" "ade-quate" zoning, to assure orderly development. This brought a sharp retort from Committee member, D.L. Taylor, a former Grand County Commissioner, Commis-sioner, who stated that the federal agency was involving itself in an area where it had no business intruding. "Federal land use planning has not passed the national Congress and state land use planning was soundly rejected by the citizens of Utah on a ballot referendum, so this leaves it strictly up to local elected officials," Mr. Taylor stated. "The BLM is trying to force us into stricter zoning in Spanish Valley by requiring this before issuance of permits to proceed on the Mill Creek Project," he said. The former county commissioner aso pointed out that Grand County does have a zoning ordinance covering the luids in question. "I am the first to agree that Grand County's zoning ordinances need to be updated, but it is not the responsibility of the BLM to plan or zone our private lands or resort to blackmail to force others to do it by holding our vital water project as a hostage," he concluded. S. Gene Day, District Manager of the BLM. who was also in attendance atten-dance at the meeting, defended the action of the Area Office team, by stating that mistakes had been made in Spanish Valley development develop-ment in the past, and his agency was attempting to avoid any similar mistakes in the future. Mr. Day admitted that the BLM's 5-acre tract program fifteen years ago was a mistake which lead to a good deal of development which was not in the best interests of overall good growth and development. "We aren't telling you how to zone the land," he said, "just asking that it be done as your citizens want it done." He indicated that a meeting would be held soon with the San Juan County Commission about the same subject, since a good deal of upper Spanish Valley lies in San Juan County. |