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9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This concurrent resolution recognizes the state's commitment to remaining a public
12 lands state and encourages the pursuit of federal executive and legislative action that
13 would lead to both the retention and optimal management of public lands within the
14 state of Utah.
15 Highlighted Provisions:
16 This resolution:
17 ▸ states that Utah is a premier public lands state and is committed to remaining a
18 public lands state; and
19 ▸ asserts that local management responsibility of Utah's public lands would result in
20 greater opportunities for outdoor recreation, including hunting, fishing, and access,
21 as well as economic opportunities for rural Utah.
22 Special Clauses:
23 None
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25 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
26 WHEREAS, the state of Utah is a premier public lands state and is committed to
27 remaining a public lands state;
28 WHEREAS, Utah's public lands provide unique opportunities for outdoor recreation,
29 including skiing, camping, hunting, fishing, biking, rock climbing, and spelunking in addition
30 to economic opportunities like responsible timber harvesting, mineral development, wind and
31 solar energy development, and livestock grazing;
32 WHEREAS, Utah's leaders are focused on the conservation and improvement of public
33 lands, and the state's concern over federal management is not an issue of the public lands
34 themselves or the good federal employees who work in this area, but the historic and structural
35 failure of the federal government to manage the public lands properly without meaningful state
36 and local consultation and input;
37 WHEREAS, federal mismanagement jeopardizes's Utah communities, our forests,
38 wildlife, economies, recreational opportunities, and air quality;
39 WHEREAS, the state of Utah seeks greater management responsibility over the public
40 lands not to sell them, but to protect them in the way that they always should have been
41 protected;
42 WHEREAS, if given greater management responsibility over the public lands within
43 the state, Utah is devoted to:
44 • increasing public access for hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation, as
45 well as increasing public herds of wildlife like elk, deer, bison, bighorn,
46 moose, and mountain goats;
47 • mitigating conflicts, when they occur, between ranching interests and
48 wildlife interests;
49 • increasing opportunities for ranching interests, while also ensuring
50 increased wildlife and sporting opportunities; and
51 • increasing economic opportunities for rural Utah communities;
52 WHEREAS, the state is committed to retaining public lands in public ownership and in
53 improving the way the public lands are managed in the state;
54 WHEREAS, the state of Utah is regularly regarded as one of the best-managed states in
55 the country and, because of this proven track record, seeks to obtain greater management
56 responsibility over certain federally controlled public land within its borders; and
57 WHEREAS, by obtaining greater management responsibility over certain public lands
58 in Utah, the state could ensure appropriate conservation, secure public access, encourage
59 multiple use, grow the economy, and sustain proper land management:
60 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
61 Governor concurring therein, strongly urges all members of the Utah congressional delegation
62 to work in concert with Utah's legislative leadership and the Commission for the Stewardship
63 of Public Lands to draft and pass federal legislation creating a framework to ensure the
64 retention of Utah's public lands in public ownership and to provide for greater state
65 management responsibility over certain public lands.
66 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor strongly urge the
67 President of the United States, together with the United States Congress, to support all efforts
68 and actions necessary to draft, pass, and sign into law the federal legislative framework to
69 ensure the retention of Utah's public lands in public ownership and to provide for greater state
70 management responsibility over certain public lands in the state of Utah.
71 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the President of
72 the United States, Utah's federal delegation, the Utah Attorney General, the State Board of
73 Education, local school boards within the state of Utah, county commissioners within the state
74 of Utah, and mayors and council members of all communities within the state of Utah.