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Show In our opinion - 'Primitive' plans have scarey aspects, too The plans of the Bureau of Land Management to place 11.2 million acres of land in Utah to primitive status is well underway. Under the Public Land Management Act of 1976, commonly com-monly referred to as the Organic Act, the BLM has began an extensive ex-tensive planning program throughout the Western States, to place large amounts of acreage under Primitive status. In Utah alone the BLM is responsible for the management of 23.9 million acres, about 44 percent of the state, and the placement of 11.2 million acres under primitive status --or about 22 percent of the state. Approximately half of that land, being proposed by BLM to qualify under primitive status, is in the southern Utah area, according to Senator Ivan Matheson of the Utah State Senate. One of the scarey aspects of the proposal of BLM as they plan their recommendations is that the area in question, - that area identified by the BLM -- would be held in abeyance during a study period. That Would, for all practical purposes, bring about the intent of the BLM before the fact. The consequences of such a move on the part of BLM coupled with other federally controlled lands - National Parks and Monuments, Forest Service, Military installations and Indian lands -- puts Utah and other Western states in a critical situation. Primitive controls would eliminate grazing privileges, would probably eliminate mining operations and could stunt the growth and development of existing communities. Cedar City, for instance, is surrounded on three sides by federally controlled lands. Growth might well be hampered by controls by federal agencies. Utah has passed legislation that designates roads into federally controlled lands as part of the state highway system under a Class D road program. Although no funds have been provided it does allow the state to so classify and such classification has taken part in most of the counties of the state --Iron --Iron County has not completed its classification process. In a recent meeting of the Western Slates efforts were made and an appeal is being presented to the federal government to declare a moritorium on the extensive amount of planning that is being done by the government and give states an opportunity to provide input and participate in the planning process. Utah is already approximately 63 percent federally owned. That in itself brings restrictions, but to further restrict the use of that federal land could have disasterous consequences. The government has its case already prepared. Those who may oppose the BLM plans should have equal opportunity to prepare and respond. |