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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor expresses support for
11 the Public Lands Initiative and for locally driven land use planning over unilateral
12 federal action regarding Utah's public lands.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 ▸ expresses support to counties in Utah that choose to participate in the Public Lands
16 Initiative;
17 ▸ expresses the Legislature's commitment to the ideals of local control, local
18 ownership, and local lands management;
19 ▸ expresses the Legislature's preference for locally driven land use planning over the
20 unilateral use of the Antiquities Act of 1906;
21 ▸ expresses support for the efforts of Utah's congressional delegation and participating
22 counties in Utah to bring some resolution to the long-standing public land disputes;
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24 ▸ encourages the ongoing Public Lands Initiative to move forward.
25 Special Clauses:
26 None
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28 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
29 WHEREAS, perpetual land management, land use, and access disputes on public lands
30 in the state reduce economic development opportunities in local communities and impede
31 successful management of lands and resources;
32 WHEREAS, resolving perpetual land management, land use, and access disputes would
33 bring regulatory certainty to local governments, spur economic development, and improve
34 land, wildlife, air, water, forest, and range health;
35 WHEREAS, the Public Lands Initiative (PLI), an effort spearheaded by Utah's
36 congressional delegation, the Governor's Office, Native American tribes, non-governmental
37 organizations, and various Utah counties, is intended to bring resolution to perpetual land
38 management, land use, and access disputes and create some regulatory certainty for the citizens
39 in Utah's public lands counties;
40 WHEREAS, PLI has the potential to boost mineral production, create jobs and
41 economic growth, diminish the federal footprint in local communities, protect livestock
42 grazing, enhance outdoor recreational opportunities, and increase state and local management
43 of lands and resources;
44 WHEREAS, PLI provides an opportunity to relocate captured school trust parcels into
45 more accessible, energy-rich areas of the state that could provide a higher return for Utah's
46 schoolchildren;
47 WHEREAS, PLI is complementary to Utah's Transfer of Public Lands Act, as both
48 efforts are designed to bring greater local control, local ownership, and public lands
49 management to local communities;
50 WHEREAS, nothing in the PLI will prejudice the Utah's Transfer of Public Lands Act;
51 WHEREAS, the PLI is a critical first step in ongoing efforts to restore state control over
52 the land within the state's border;
53 WHEREAS, Utah's congressional delegation, the Governor's Office, and the
54 Legislature are committed to empowering local elected officials and garnering support from
55 those closest to the land as part of PLI;
56 WHEREAS, several locations in Utah have been listed on United States Department of
57 the Interior national monument planning documents;
58 WHEREAS, the Legislature and the Governor prefer locally driven land use planning
59 over the unilateral use of the Antiquities Act of 1906; and
60 WHEREAS, unilateral executive actions in any Utah county would impede locally
61 driven planning efforts and likely stifle future public land management progress:
62 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
63 Governor concurring therein, expresses strong support to counties in Utah that choose to
64 participate in the Public Lands Initiative.
65 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor express their
66 commitment to the ideals of local control, local ownership, and local lands management and
67 the belief that the Public Lands Initiative would strengthen these ideals.
68 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor express their
69 preference for locally driven land use planning over the unilateral use of the Antiquities Act of
70 1906.
71 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor express support
72 for the efforts of Utah's congressional delegation and Utah's participating counties to bring
73 some resolution to long-standing public land disputes and encourage the Public Lands Initiative
74 to move forward.
75 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the President of
76 the United States, the Secretary of the United States Department of the Interior, the Utah
77 Association of Counties, the Utah League of Cities and Towns, the Governor's Office of
78 Economic Development, the Utah Chamber of Commerce, the Native American Tribes
79 participating in the Public Lands Initiative, and the members of Utah's congressional
80 delegation.