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Show EU JULY 1995 SOUNDING BOARD Proposed Wilderness Legislation Badly Flawed Dear editor, In January of this year, Utah’s governor and Congressional delegation initiated a process that they said was aimed at developing wilderness legislation for publicly- owned desert lands in Utah. That process was to involve public hearings in communities throughout the state, and the politicians invited written comment from all Utahns. Unfortunately, the process was flawed from the start. First, rural county commissioners were granted powers to develop a recommenda- the auditorium. People stood in the back in rows four deep. Literally hundreds of would-be speakers could not be accommodated in the four-and-a-half hour hearing. Nonetheless, nearly everyone who did speak at the Salt Lake hearing, spoke strongly in favor of protecting 5.7 million acres of wilderness. The crowd cheered enthusiastically again and again as Utahns strode to the microphone and proclaimed their support for the citizen’s proposal. Facing the audience, Goy. Leavitt, Reps. Hansen, Orton all other sectors of Utah’s citizenry. Most Utahns had no chance to par- and Waldholtz, and Sens. Hatch and Bennett all heard the same testimony. It appears, however, that they ticipate weren't tion of their own, in the independent county from wilderness meetings because they were held on week nights in towns hundreds of miles from the Wasatch Front, most where Utahns live. Furthermore, even those who were able to take the time off work and make the multi-hour round-trip were generally given a maximum of three minutes to speak about the many different areas under consideration, Then came the regional hearings. Though 80 percent of Utah’s citizens reside along the Wasatch Front, four out of the five hearings were held in small towns in southern Utah. In addition, the telephone sign-up system was soon swamped, and last-minute changes were made in the location of some of the hearings, thus adding to the confusion. Still, those who support the citizen’s proposal to protect 5.7 million acres of desert wilderness in Utah, dominated ings. there In Salt Lake, for example, was standing-room-only in most of the hear- listening. The evidence for this last statement is that on June 6, Utah’s Congressional delegation and governor released “The Utah Public Lands Management Act of 1995.” assured that their proposal, in form of H.R. 1745 and S. 884, is all the worse the traditional concept O for of Ww what and a | lands, would: e Remove legally do e defined mere the legislation and would prevent ing from such gas pipeline Permit in another unlimited to lands reducing Vast areas of wilderness are completely missing from the bill, including Fish and Owl Canyons and the grazing in the though drought such reductions. Road Creek area on Cedar Mesa. percent of the rugged Eighty Kaiparowits Plateau would be left open to coal mining and other industrial exploitation. Almost half of the world-renowned Escalante Canyons are let out of the delegation’s bill. Of the well-known San Rafael Swell, only 180,000 out of 750,000 acres would be guaranteed to remain in their original pristine condition. And the list goes on... That so many deserving areas have been left out of the politician’s legislation is bad enough. But rest the numbers of the Interior adjacent except land land prohibiting for the from to clos- wilderness reasons of public Require the Secretary of Interior turn nearly over to 230,000 thes acres tate of of land, Utah signif never faced so great a threat before Please be sure to call your U.S Representatives and Senators and tell them how you feel about this terrible piece of legislation. There can be no question but that this bill of communications facilities in four of the proposed wilderness areas. e Expressly deny a water right in the proposed wilderness areas. © Forbid land managers from The first thing that is obviously and seriously wrong with this legislation is that it would offer relatively little protection for Utah’s wilderness. motorized icant part of which contain extraot dinary wilderness It's safe to say that Utah’s incomparable wild lands have wilder- expansion of roads ¢ ness area. ° of safety from again being considered fot wilderness e Permit the construction of dams, roads, power lines and other facilities in four of the new wilderness areas. e Permit the construction of a natural use by Secretary areas interim protection the resources In nearly one-and-a-half million acres of publicly-owned wild lands in Utah Allow vehicles in wilderness areas e Hamstring the efforts of managers to protect public to addition fraction of ilderness protecting deserving it would must not be allowed to pass. Sincerely, Lawson LeGate Southwest Representative Sierra Club livestock even wilderness, conditions dictate LETTERS Dear Reader, Send your Editor P.O. comments department Box 1433, Sincerely, Wasatch and observations to our Letters to the Sounding Board Park City, Utah 84060, Or Fax 801-649-8046. Editor Mountain Times dunt Air Cafe Food \ _ lor Real People DAILY PARK PAGE 3 CITY’S SPECIALS BREAKFAST + LUNCH + DINNER OLDEST FAMILY DINER |
