Column: Salazar comes to Utah with mixed message

Heidi Macintosh

Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar came to Utah this week in fulfillment of a promise to smooth relations with state politicians after ruffling feathers with his 2009 decision to pull 77 oil and gas leases issued by the Bureau of Land Management.

Never mind that a federal judge had already blocked issuance of the leases due to serious legal flaws by the Bush administration's BLM. Mr. Salazar still bore the brunt of the rancor.

Secretary Salazar has a new and welcome way of looking at things that departs from the previous administration's "drill it all" policy which neglected both the problems of encouraging boom-and-bust industries, and damage to clean water, wildlife, recreation opportunities or tourism revenue. The new agenda rightly prioritizes renewable energy development and conservation.

This new approach should go beyond renewable energy, however, and embrace better ways to protect public lands. That's why we were disappointed that Salazar used his appearance before the "Balanced Resources Council" to quell the fears of some that new national monuments would be designated in Utah without state involvement. He also expressed his support for public lands grazing, heard out objections to sage grouse protection, and watched as his BLM director reassured the council that recent new initiatives to address climate change on federal public lands would actually result in no immediate management change.

To the wilderness advocates who packed the meeting room, but were not allowed to speak, the lack of emphasis on land protection was a disappointment. We do realize that the secretary's outreach effort took place before the council, whose members include climate-change deniers, wilderness foes, and assorted state officials staunchly hostile to federal stewardship and protection of public lands. These are many of the same state politicians who support, after all, a state law that would allow Utah to seize federal lands. The law, signed by Gov. Gary Herbert last month, is unconstitutional, but Secretary Salazar heard the message.

Utah's legislative antics aside, Salazar and President Obama should not hesitate to use the full range of tools available to them to ensure the lasting protection of Utah's remaining undeveloped, wilderness-quality lands.

We don't object to the administration consulting with the state before national monuments are designated. But surely a promise to consult with the state should not be interpreted as granting the state a veto, and the president should not shy away from monument designations where they are warranted. Nearly every president has used his authority to protect treasured places since Congress granted the authority to do so in the Antiquities Act of 1906.

After all, some of Utah's most beloved icons began as national monuments. Ever wowed the kids with a trip to Zion National Park? You can thank President Taft for first protecting it as a national monument in 1909. Same for Arches, which President Herbert Hoover designated a monument in 1929, and Capitol Reef National Park, protected by President Roosevelt in 1937. President Wilson protected Dinosaur National Monument in 1915. These places have become Utah icons. We even put Delicate Arch, originally protected as a national monument, on our license plates.

Moreover, in total, these former monuments, some now national parks, brought in over 5 million visitors last year, all contributing to Utah's stable $6.2 billion tourism economy.

Additionally, the Interior Department should revisit BLM's 2008 lands use plans for eastern Utah. These plans designated an excessive 20,000 miles of off-road-vehicle trails and opened 80 percent of BLM lands to oil and gas leasing. Changes are necessary to restore balance, protect Utah's magnificent wilderness lands, and ensure long-term sustainability, especially in an era of climate change.

Protecting wilderness quality lands would only affect about 3,000 miles of ORV trails, and 86 percent of the anticipated oil and gas wells could still be drilled. By comparison, BLM's plans are so out of whack that they would protect on average only 16 percent of the public lands still eligible for wilderness protection.

Much is at stake. Right now wilderness-character lands are being damaged by ORVs, roads and other development. There is no reason for Secretary Salazar or President Obama to limit their options to save these places for future generations. The challenges ahead require them to keep, and use, every tool in their conservation toolbox.

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Source: http://www.sltrib.com/opinion/ci_14994201

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