Utah

Utah Legislature votes to join lawsuit on federal lands

Published

3 months ago

September 18, 2024

Utah Legislature votes to join lawsuit on federal lands

The state Legislature’s Management Committee voted Tuesday to file a friend of the court brief before the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Utah Attorney General’s lawsuit filed in August over 18.5 million acres of “unappropriated” public lands under federal ownership.

A tie vote of 4-4 was broken by leadership, as per rules, when House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, and Senate President Stuart Adams, R-Layton, voted once again in favor of supporting the unique lawsuit.

Both Schultz and Adams said it is well past time that Utah do something about the vast amount of land controlled by the federal government that they say is often left in disarray and neglected.

“I’ve had the opportunity to watch Utah’s public lands over the last almost 40 or almost 50 years,” Schultz said. “And what is happening to our public lands kills me. As a conservationist at heart, who spends a lot of his own money, a lot of my own money, on improving land and making it better — to see the mismanagement that’s happening on our Forest Service lands, on our BLM lands, on all of the federally managed lands, is sickening, and we should all be ashamed of it. It’s going backwards.”

The amicus curiae, or friend of the court brief, comes in response to a lawsuit announced last month in a press conference by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, joined by Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes.

The country’s highest court has yet to take up the case. But if it were to rule in Utah’s favor, control of a significant portion of public lands would shift to state capitals like Phoenix, Boise and Salt Lake City, instead of the nation’s Capitol 2,000 miles away.

It is those people, Schultz added, in charge of those lands in Utah — “bureaucrats” far removed from the state — who are out of touch with what is going on with the landscapes.

“It is not right and it is not fair,” he asserted.

Adams said the lawsuit leaves untouched places already under active management by federal agencies such as national parks, wilderness areas, national forests, monuments, tribal lands or military properties — land he describes as appropriated and serving a designated use. That amounts to 18.8 million acres.

But 18.5 million acres of federal land is unencumbered for a special purpose, land that the state fears will soon change with public land restrictions that no longer make the land public multiuse and for purposes of sustained yield — something etched in stone under the Federal Lands Policy Management Act passed in 1976.

The land ownership by the federal government puts Utah at a distinct disadvantage, Adams said.

“In comparison the federal government owns less than 1% of the ground in Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island. Our Founding Fathers took care of those three states,” Adams said. “If you move on, less than 3% of the land is federally owned in Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and yet they own 70% of the land here in Utah.”

Look but don’t touch

Some GOP lawmakers have said the federal government is whittling away access to land they control, via restrictions that include 500 miles of roads closed and more to come. Grazing allotments are at risk as well, due to a new position by the Bureau of Land Management that nongovernment organizations are on an equal footing when it comes to being granted leases — but for conservation purposes lawmakers say have the potential to decimate public access.

“It takes a hands off, don’t touch, stay out approach, and they’re going to continue to close down more roads. This is access to some of those of us that love to get out and recreate, camp and climb or whatever it is,” Schultz said. “Hiking in our public land, they’re no longer going to have access to some of their favorite areas unless they’re willing to walk in 15 to 20 miles to get … to this area or to the area where they historically had access — and that is not fair to people with disabilities and that is not fair to people who can’t hike that far in.”

Several Democratic members of the Legislative Management Committee made clear their objection to Utah’s involvement, citing the costs that will run into the millions and the small chance of any tangible victory.

“I think it’ll be taxpayer money being lost in another fruitless litigation. But we will lose outdoor recreation opportunities. We will lose habitat for wildlife, and this will provide us with an opportunity to privatize some of the 70% of the land we all recreate on,” said Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights.

Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost, D-Salt Lake City, also wanted her name put on record as opposing the legal action.

But if the state is successful, it would take over leasing on those federal lands.

Utah has hired former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement and leading Supreme Court advocate Erin Murphy to argue the case, which could add up to $14 million in costs.

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Utah

Green Beret calls for more to be done in search for missing Utah National Guardsman

Published

5 hours ago

December 20, 2024

Press Room

Green Beret calls for more to be done in search for missing Utah National Guardsman

SALT LAKE CITY — There’s frustration in the search to find the body of a missing member of the Utah National Guard, presumed murdered by his wife.

Matthew Johnson has been missing for nearly three months, and one of his fellow Green Berets said more should be done to find him.

“I think more can be done,” said John Hash, Utah Army National Guard 19th Special Forces Group.

Hash served with Johnson for 12 years in the Utah Guard’s 19th Special Forces Group and became friends outside of work. He was stunned to learn Johnson’s wife, Jennifer Gledhill, was arrested and charged for his murder.

Cottonwood Heights police officers escort Jennifer Gledhill into a police car on Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024. Police say she shot and killed her husband as he slept. (Ed Collins, KSL TV)

“Having had Jen in our home before, you know, breaking bread with them, it turned out she’s responsible for his death; it was shocking, frankly,” Hash said.

That pain made it worse that Johnson’s body is still out there somewhere. Hash would like Utah Gov. Spencer Cox to get the National Guard out looking.

“I’d like to see the Governor commit openly to finding Matt, to bringing him home and giving him a proper burial,” he said.

A photo of Matthew Johnson and John Hash. (Courtesy John Hash)

While the governor can call them out, the National Guard said that’s not what they do.

“This is a local law enforcement issue and not a National Guard or a state level issue. Human recovery is not a mission that’s specifically a National Guard mission or something that we specifically train for,” said Lt. Col. Chris Kroeber, Public Affairs Officer for the Utah Army National Guard.

It’s not necessarily an answer Hash wants to hear.

“You don’t give up, you leave no one behind, you bring him home, and he’s home, we just can’t find him, let’s find him,” Hash said.

Cottonwood Heights police, the agency in charge of the search for Johnson, said they didn’t have an update and are doing all they can to find him.

KSL TV contacted the Governor’s Office Thursday night but didn’t immediately hear back.

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Liquor licenses go to 7 Utah restaurants and 3 bars, including Kiitos’ Sugar House location

Published

14 hours ago

December 19, 2024

Press Room

Liquor licenses go to 7 Utah restaurants and 3 bars, including Kiitos’ Sugar House location

Utah’s liquor commission approved licenses for three bars and and seven restaurants Thursday, including the long-awaited second location of Kiitos Brewing.

The commission for the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services’ (DABS) also learned that a program to allow customers to “round up” purchases to the nearest dollar — and donate the difference to help unsheltered Utahns — has been successful in its first weeks.

During the board’s monthly meeting Thursday, Todd Darrington, DABS’ director of finance, said $87,989 had been raised so far for the Pamela Atkinson Homeless Account, to support its homelessness services.

Commissioner Jacquelyn Orton said she found that number to be “extraordinary.”

Through Feb. 28, shoppers at Utah’s state-run liquor stores will also find donation boxes, each supporting a different local charity. With the donation of coats, canned goods, pet food and more, customers can help organizations (see a full list at ABS.utah.gov) that support people and animals across the state.

DABS director Tiffany Clason spoke about the importance of having a plan for a safe ride home when people go out to drink. That’s why DABS has partnered with WCF Insurance and the Utah Department of Public Safety, she said, to have WCF offer $10 rideshare vouchers for bar patrons needing a ride home. People can get the vouchers by scanning a QR code at the door of the bar they’re visiting.

The bars that received their licenses Thursday are:

• SnowmoBAR, 877 S. 200 West, Salt Lake City (conditional, projected opening Jan. 1, 2025). This bar will be a rebrand of Snowmobile Pizza, which has been closed since August for a remodel.

• Eleven Nightclub, downtown Salt Lake City (conditional, projected opening Jan. 10, 2025).

• Kiitos Brewing, 1533 S. 1100 East, Salt Lake City (conditional, projected opening Jan. 28, 2025). Business manager Jamie Kearns said February is looking more likely for the opening of this second Kiitos location, in Sugar House.

The restaurants that received their licenses are:

• Don Miguel’s, 453 S. Main St., Cedar City.

• The Hub, 1165 S. Main St., Heber City.

• Cody’s Gastro Garage, 2100 S. Main St., Nephi (conditional).

• Back Spin Bistro, St. George (conditional, projected opening Jan. 1, 2025).

• Cosmica, Salt Lake City (conditional, projected opening Jan. 15, 2025).

• Lucky Slice Pizza, 37 W. Center Street, Logan (conditional, projected opening Feb. 1, 2025; this is a new location).

• Hash Kitchen, Salt Lake City (conditional, projected opening Feb. 14, 2025).

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Next couple of days above average for Utah ahead of a potential Christmas storm

Published

22 hours ago

December 19, 2024

Press Room

Next couple of days above average for Utah ahead of a potential Christmas storm

Another sunny day for Utah ahead of a pair of storms that could bring a white Christmas to the region. But until the the beginning of next week temperatures are 10 degrees or more above average for this time of year.

Salt Lake City:
Thursday- 51 degrees and mostly sunny.

Thursday Night- 29 degrees overnight.

Friday- Mostly sunny with a high of 51 degrees.

St. George:
Thursday- Mostly sunny day with a high of 62.

Thursday Night- High of 34 overnight.

Friday- 61 degrees and sunny again.

REAL-TIME WEATHER: Get the latest weather forecasts by downloading the FREE Utah Weather Authority app

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