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Show WASATCH MOUNTAIN Continued from page 8 American cowboy seems to be a dying breed. In Utah, agriculture accounts for less than 2 percent of the state’s economy. And more cattle are raised in Florida than the entire Rocky Mountain west. Taking that into why Reps. Hansen and _ Enid Waldholtz, as well as Sens. Orrin Hatch and Bob Bennett ignored a loud cry for more designated Wilderness by their urban constituents. Seventy percent of all public comment taken by Utah's account, Caucus has been a deal maker or deal breaker on such issues as gun control and water development and many of the so-called “moral” issues, like abortion. An unrepresentatively large group of rural law makers have favored 5.7 million acres of federal Wilderness. For their part, Gov. Mike Leavitt, who supports Hansen’s Wilderness bill, as well as the Congressional delegation, with the notable exception of Bill Orton, say the legislation is a compromise between Wasatch Front urbanites and Southern Utah ranchers, who don’t want public land “locked up” in Wilderness. The Sagebrush Rebellion has indeed captured the imagination of the nation, if not the hearts and minds of Congress, as a whole. “In fact, the Republican Party has been captured by those interests,” seats on the executive says it seems odd that so much noise’ is being made over a segment of the economy that is quite tiny. Yet this dying breed has a very loud political voice. Both in the Utah Legislature, as well as Congress, the political clout of agriculture is as big as ever, if not bigger. How is it then that a dwindling bunch of ranchers have so much political sway? n Utah, the so-called Cowboy appropriations committee, which in the end sets the budget. But if they seem prominent in Utah, in the nation’s capital their voice is perhaps as loud as it ever has been: they battled Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt to a standstill on what they called his “War on the West,” which sought to increase grazing fees on public lands, only to turn around and introduce legislation that would than ever give them more determining the public lands. In another Congressman power Hansen’s Rait, issues director for the There coal the deposits in are large Kaiparowits Plateau and rich gas deposits also lie beneath other lands excluded from _Hansen’s Wilderness proposal. And large energy companies have contributed handsomely to each member of Utah’s Congressional delegation. This, say environmentalists, is is no question. But it would be silly to think these little guys are powering this along. There is big, big money behind this, and that’s what's pushing it.” ut ranchers and their representals in Utah say such things as more federally designated Wilderness and more strict controls on public rangeland will keep them from earning a livelihood. (See Essay by Utah rancher Allen E. Smith on page 12.) Secretary Babbitt’s Rangeland Reform could mean the demise of the small rancher, says Mark O. Walsh, associate director of the Association of Utah Counties. “A lot of Utah ranchers don't favor it, because it has a very antiwestern flavor to it,” Walsh said in a Wasatch Mountain Times interview. Among other things, Babbitt’s Rangeland Reform, which went into effect Aug. 31, doesn’t allow ranchers who make improvements on public rangeland to own _ those improvements, Walsh explained. “You have to recognize that improvements have to made, so you can get have to an economic take that into explained. In addition, a new Pete All these factors have led Domenici, R-New Mexico, Continued return... You account,” he grazing fee JIM HANSEN 93-’94 Coastal - $1,000 Nat'l Pk Concessionaires PAC - $1,000 Exxon - $2,000 Kennecott - $2,000 Mobil PAC - $500 Nat'l Cattkemen’s Assoc PAC - $3,500 Phelps Dodge - $750 Phillips Petroleum PAC -$500 Questar - $500 Tenneco -$1,000 Texaco PAC - $500 ENID WALDHOLTZ "93-94 Asarco PAC - $500 Brush Wellman - $2,000 Forest Industries PAC Kennecott - $1,000 Oil and BHP Utah Int'l - $1,000 Brush Wellman - $5,000 Chevron - $5,748 Coal PaC - $5,000 Coastal - $5,000 Cyprus Mineral - $1,000 Exxon - $5,000 Halliburton PAC - $4,000 Kennecott - $2,500 Mobil - $2,500 Nat’! Cattlemen's Assoc - $4,000 Penzoil - $500 Phelps Dondge - $1,000 Phillips Petroleum - $3,000 Questar - $2,500 Tenneco - $1,000 Texaco - $2,000 ORRIN HATCH °93 Amoco PAC - $3,000 Arch Minteral PAC - $2,500 Ashland Oil PAC - $1,000 BHP Utah Intl - $1,000 Brush Wellman - $2,500 - $500 Gas ROBERT BENNETT ’91-'92 American Sheep Industry PAC - $500 Mobil - $750 Occidental -: Amoco PAC - $5,000 ARCO PAC - $2,000 Amoco PAC - $500 Asarco PAC - $500 BHP Utah Int'l - $500 Brush Wellman - $2,000 Meridian Oil - $1,000 Chevron - $1,000 Coal PAC - $1,000 Phillips Petroleum - $1,000 Meridian Oil - $2,000 Chevron - $7,000 Questar PAC - $500 Consol Coal Group - - $1,200 Union Oil - $500 ROBERT BENNETT °93-’94 Asarco - $1,000 Questar - $1,500 Kennecott - $500 Nat'l Independent Energy - $500 Nat'l Cattlemen’s Assoc - $500 Phelps Dodge - $500 Texaco PAGES... - $2,000 .. $1,000 AMAX - $4,000 Exxon - $3,000 Halliburton PAC - $3,500 Kennecott - $14,000 Nat'l Cattlemen's Assoc - $4,000 Peabody PAC - $2,000 Penzoil PAC - $1,000 Phillips Petroleum - $2,000 Tenneco - $5,000 Texaco - $4,000 Union Oil Co, - $2,000 Ziegler Coal - $1,000 Sen. and on page Political Contributors you're one of them, the last thing you do is send out your CEO. You there community. They don’t have to have a stake’ economically in the decisions they are making,” Walsh said. But perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the Rangeland Reform to cattle ranchers is that it calls for increased management by federal agents of the public lands. And that, say the cattle interests, could make doing business on the public range practically impossible. rep- exist, and big timber, as well as agri-business.” Case in point: southwest Utah Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. ‘Tt is funded by mining companies, oil companies LeGate, formula in Babbitt’s Rangeland Reform would make fees independent of the relative health of the cattle industry. “Ranchers are willing to accept an increase, but not to the point where they loose investment.” he secretary's Rangeland Reform eliminated rural Grazing Advisory Boards and replaced them with Resource Advisory Councils, whose representatives come from various walks of life. And that, Walsh argues, doesn’t make sense. “These new boards have representatives from the environmental resentative for the Sierra Club. “That’s a simple political fact... the party in charge is sympathetic to the Sagebrush Rebels.” And LeGate contends the monied backers of the Republican Party have used the small rancher well as the American Icon who needs help to survive. “Corporate miners and loggers, if Utah of Wilderness Act would open up at least 4 million acres of grazing in this state on lands designated now as “Wilderness Study Areas.” Another Hansen bill, which appears at face value to be the epitome of the Sagebrush Rebellion, would return almost all federally-owned lands to states. But according to environmental watchdogs, it really isn’t the cattle ranchers and sheep men who are the engineers of this political movement. Rather, it is large agri-business, oil interests and timber companies who are driving the Sagebrush Rebellion. “We've known all along that this has been fueled by big industry,” said Ken Lawson representatives want to send out your little guy and make them your poster child,” LeGate said. “Those small ranchers fate measure, Jim Congressional TIMES 4 11 |