Bishop & Chaffetz Introduce Utah Public Lands Initiative
& Utah PLI Partner Act
WASHINGTON – Rep. Rob Bishop (UT-01) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (UT-03) have formally introduced the Utah Public Lands Initiative (PLI) legislation for consideration by the US House of Representatives. Included in the bill is a revamped 1.4 million acre plan for the Bears Ears region. A partner bill was also introduced to complement the Utah Public Lands Initiative by ensuring land use certainty in seven Utah counties. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) will sponsor the companion legislation in the Senate.
After introducing the PLI legislation, Rep. Bishop released following statement:
“The effort of PLI was always to solve problems that have led to acrimony, and to do so by conserving lands worthy of conservation and providing for economic and recreational opportunities for all Utahns. The status quo does not provide that. It’s not that the federal government is malicious, but when they own one third of America, it is just too much to effectively manage from Washington. Utah is a public lands state. It has always been, and it always will be. The question is how those public lands are managed. That’s where local government has the advantage. PLI takes that premise and builds it to a reality.”
Rep. Chaffetz said:
“In the shared effort to protect and manage Eastern Utah lands, particularly the Bears Ears Region, the Public Lands Initiative offers the most comprehensive, viable and legal path forward. We don’t have to settle for a solution that is limited in scope, support, and goodwill. This legislation goes beyond conservation. In the case of Bears Ears, it safeguards access of traditional tribal uses and provides a meaningful seat at the table for tribal interests. Let’s give weight to the broad coalition of interests and enable a comprehensive solution to lands disputes that have plagued the West for generations.”
More info, including the PLI bill text, is available at UtahPLI.com. There you will also find a summary of the bill and key changes, a thorough overview of the Bears Ears region, maps depicting the involved lands, and a listing of supportive statements from various organizations and individuals.
Recently, Reps. Bishop & Chaffetz and Sens. Orrin Hatch & Mike Lee sent a letter to Interior Department Secretary Sally Jewell highlighting the legislative strategy and next steps for PLI.
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In response to the release of the second draft of Rep. Rob Bishop’s Public Lands Initiative, the Center for Western Priorities released the following statement.
Jennifer Rokala, Executive Director:
“It's unfortunate that it has taken Congressman Bishop so long to take this process seriously. This draft bill should have been the starting point over 1000 days ago when the process began. Now, it's been over three years since Rep. Bishop first proposed the Public Lands Initiative, and six months since he introduced a discussion draft that was heavily criticized by most involved. This all raises one big question: Is Congressman Bishop serious about compromise, or running out the clock? Regardless, he is now under serious time pressure.
“Unless this bill makes it to the President’s desk in a matter of weeks with necessary improvements, it will be incumbent on President Obama to ensure lands in Southern Utah are protected after an eight decade effort.”
The current draft of the PLI has major flaws which need to be fixed within days if Rep. Bishop intends to get his bill to the President’s desk. Among them:
The PLI’s proposed Bears Ears National Conservation Area excludes many important areas that are part of the Inter-Tribal Coalition’s proposed Bears Ears National Monument
The bill fails to provide local tribes with co-management authority within the Bears Ears region
The proposed Recapture Canyon Recreation Zone rewards the illegal activities of San Juan County Commissioner Phil Lyman and puts archaeological sites at risk
Forcing the Interior Secretary to grant rights-of-way to cow paths and historic trails (“Class D roads”) in Uintah County is an egregious attack on wilderness protections
Requiring grazing to continue inside National Conservation Areas at current levels prevents ecologically sound management policies
Handing over federal lands to the state for energy development is the worst kind of giveaway of the American public’s shared resources
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