A memo from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that was obtained by the Associated Press says the department will not pursue the designation of “wild lands,” reversing an initiative Salazar announced back in December.
Utah Governor Gary Herbert says selling federal land to help ease the national debt is an idea worth exploring. He was responding to Florida Congressman Dennis Ross’s comments, using Utah as an example that if the federal government needs the cash, it should “start liquidating.” Speaking at his monthly news conference on KUED, Herbert said it’s not a bad idea.
The owners of a ranch in Nine Mile Canyon are trying to stop a second gas pipeline from running through a three-quarters-of-a-mile easement on their property. State law says Bill Barrett Corporation has the right to install the pipeline, but landowners say it will disrupt ranching operations, damage the irrigation system and impact archeological resources. Part-owner Jerry Vaculin says the state has wrongly allowed corporations to act in the role of government.
The commission tasked with improving the quality of the Jordan River and surrounding areas has a new Executive Director. As KCPW’s Whittney Evans reports, her feet are barely wet, but she’s prepared to bring stakeholders together to turn a blighted corridor into a community asset.
One Democratic state lawmaker frustrated with federal land control is proposing a resolution challenging those policies. Representative Christine Watkins’ proposal received unanimous support from the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Committee Thursday. And as KCPW’s Jessica Gail reports, it also has the support of the Governor.
After venting his frustration over a new federal wilderness policy, Governor Gary Herbert will hold a public meeting with Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey this Friday. Herbert’s Deputy Chief of Staff Ally Isom says he wants to know more about the implications.
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