Attempted Public Lands Screw Job for the Holidays

Forums:

For those who have interest in your public lands, I got some news. 

While Senator Dick Durbin from Illinois was introducing the America's Red Rock Wilderness Act in the U.S. Senate on Dec 16th, attempting to protect 8.2 of the 22 million acres of YOUR public lands BLM oversees in Utah  https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-introduces-... , the BLM announced some plans for public lands in Utah and set the comment period to coincide with the holiday, when people are focused on other things. If you care to throw your voice in, feel free. 

A road plan for the San Rafael Swell was announced on December 13th with a comment deadline date of Jan 13th.

Plans to blaze a four-lane highway through a National Conservation Area and protected tortoise habitat near St George were announced on Dec 10th with a 30 day comment deadline.  

If you would like the details, I've posted the links to the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance's website on these issues. 

https://suwa.org/no-red-cliffs-highway/       The Four-lane Highway though the NCA

The NCA story from the SL Tribune - https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2019/12/18/feds-shift-gears-now-...

https://suwa.org/blm-wants-to-open-up-san-rafael-desert-to-twice-as-much...      San Rafael Road Plan

https://suwa.org/blm-releases-disastrous-draft-travel-plan-for-the-san-r...    San Rafael Road Plan

San Rafael Road Plan story from the SL Tribune - https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2020/01/03/feds-propose-opening/

Here's some associated info I found on public land issues. 

An opinion piece from Mark Kenyon published on Jan 3rd in "The Hill".  https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/476652-public-lands-can-uni...

"Public lands can unite a house divided in 2020."  Few issues bring Americans together like preservation of parks and wilderness.

and 

https://www.politico.com/news/agenda/2019/12/12/public-lands-bureau-land...

"The Stealth Plan to Erode Public Control of Public Lands" from Politico, published in mid-December, written by Bob Abbey, who served as director of the Bureau of Land Management from 2009 to 2012, and Jim Caswell, who served as the director of the BLM from 2007 to 2009. 

 

Happy Holidays to the land and the critters, eh?