Democrats: Privatizing public lands may ruin them

In the election cycle here in Utah, there has been a lot of talk about “taking back our public lands.” This is in reference to the Public Lands Initiative (PLI), a bill by Rob Bishop which aims to give the state government control of the currently federal public lands. This may sound like an attractive idea to a lot of people, who might think that the state can run and manage these lands better than the federal government. It is important, however, to understand all the facts and implications this bill would have before making a decision.

In Utah, there is essentially a one-party system in government (the Republican party).This is a state government that essentially ignored our state’s poor air and water quality, as well as the environmental deterioration of our land. Given the opportunity, the state would sell off these lands to private companies, and ruin many of the beautiful areas which make Utah so great. Not only would we lose these pristine areas to developers, but the environmental impact would certainly be felt as well. Governor Gary Herbert has publicly denied that he would sell off these lands, but that is simply not true. In a press conference, the governor has even said that he would argue to privatize public lands, and have it developed commercially.

Utah has thousands of acres of public lands within its borders. These bring in a lot of revenue through tourism, and their value could potentially be lost if the state gains control through the PLI. By looking over these areas, the state government would be responsible for fighting forest fires, upkeep, as well as creating an entire new infrastructure. This would be extremely a very costly expenditure. With a state government that does not like to spend money on preservation in the first place, these lands could seriously become mismanaged. Many popular areas across the state would be affected as a result of the PLI. In southern Utah, federally protected places like the Book Cliffs, the Uintah Basin, and Hatch point would all be transferred over to the state, which could exploit their oil and coal resources.

In response to the potential drawbacks of this bill, several organizations in Utah have withdrawn their support for the PLI. The Backcountry Horsemen of America, the Backwoods Hunters and Anglers, and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance have come out against the bill. This bill would undermine the President’s authority under the Antiquities Act to protect lands that are deserving. The Utah government has spent millions of taxpayer dollars on suing the federal government over these lands, and has their priorities in all the wrong places. The state legislature of Utah, in cooperation with Gov. Herbert and Rep. Bishop, has little regard for protecting wilderness. They should not be granted ownership of Utah’s public lands.

— Samuel Jackson is a sophomore at USU and he is studying Political Science. He is currently a member of the Government Relations Council, and the Vice President of the USU College Democrats. Also, he is a member of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.