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Show Your Man In Washington By U.S. Senator Orrin G. Hatch BLM Regs Handcuff Utah In the closing moments of the 94th Congress Con-gress last year, a bill was passed which has extraordinary extraor-dinary effect on the citizens of the state of Utah. The measure is entitled en-titled the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, popularly referred to as the "BLM Organic Act" and directly applies to nearly 60 of the lands within the boundaries of the Beehive State which are controlled by the Federal Government. Basically this Act gives the Bureau of Land Management legitimacy as a federal land holding agency -- something the BLM bureaucrats have been seeking from the time the agency was organized. A former governor of Utah said on several occasions, oc-casions, "The Bureau of Land Management has more control over the lives of the people of our state than I do." He was speaking speak-ing of BLM regulatory control over as much as 90 of the lands in some of Utah's 29 counties. The BLM Organic Act became law after the Governor's remarks and gives even more authority to the bureaucracy. There are many shortcomings in the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, but the major flaw is the lack of input from, or regard for, the people who derive their livelihood from the public lands. The Act authorized the publishing of rules for the use of BLM lands Sometimes, religious leaders have the skill, the m anner and the know-how to help parents and teenagers with this matter. Often, physicians are in demand for lectures to groups of teenage girls or boys. Maybe a book will help. Many libraries have books on this subject for parents which are now called Surface Sur-face Mining Regulations. These regulations were first established this year without the least bit of input in-put from the public, and it took 15 United States Senators in a joint letter to the Secretary of Interior just to obtain public hearings hear-ings on the regulations --regulations --regulations that were drafted pursuant to the law enacted just a few months earlier by that same Congress. Some concerned Utahns say the only answer to the BLM Organic Act is its repeal. They may be right. But until enough support is generated in the Congress to take such action, a way must be developed to live with this monstrosity. Meanwhile, officials from the BLM are describing describ-ing their role under the act as "administrators of lands that must be held in the public trust in perpetuity." In addition, they have said, "These lands will be classed as 'de facto wilderness areas' until un-til new rules to govern BLM lands are developed." It is this kind of language, this obvious disregard for the economy and well-being of Utah, that causes deep emotional concern and reaction by the citizens of Utah. Only time will tell what lies in the future for Utah as a result of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, its regulations and enforcement en-forcement by the BLM. and children. The library's information desk can help you, and you needn't be reluctant re-luctant to ask for the books. According to a librarian, they're very much in demand. de-mand. This Instruction is a difficult, dif-ficult, delicate responsibility, responsibili-ty, parent. But it is a responsibility re-sponsibility that must be handled. |