Utah Legislature: Opposition to future national monuments clears House

SALT LAKE CITY — Despite criticism that its language is full of "fiery rhetoric and inflammatory," a majority of lawmakers in both the House and the Senate passed resolutions Monday that say no to the creation of any more national monuments in Utah.

Specifically, HCR17 expresses opposition to the presidential creation of any "large area national monument," calling such action an abuse and violation of the Antiquities Act.

It goes onto say that such an unchecked exercise of power by the U.S. president has serious consequences for Utah and "essentially coronates the president, giving him the ultimate ability to determine the fate of nearly 70 percent of the state with the mere stroke of an unchecked presidential pen."

The resolution was jointly sponsored by Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab and Sen. David Hinkins, R-Orangeville,

It was spawned by a "leaked" internal document from the U.S. Interior Department that identified more than a dozen sites in Western states as potential spots for new national monuments. Among them were the San Rafael Swell area and Cedar Mesa in southeastern Utah, but Interior officials have since said the documents were preliminary and simply planning tools.

Lamenting the 1996 creation of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument by President Bill Clinton, Noel spoke of the millions upon millions of lost revenue locked up in 1.9 million acres because of the sweeping and overbroad application of the Antiquities Act.

"It was a takings pure and simple, and this would be a takings pure and simple," Noel said, adding that multiple land-use laws have been passed on a national level that ensure public lands are appropriately managed.

Rep. Kay McIff, R-Richfield, said such monument creations are "carte blanche, indiscriminate designations that are a highly offensive thing," based on a narrow view of "spectacular" scenery.

"That applies to about half the territory in this state," he said. "There needs to be a more refined approach … that gives us access to the lands that are central to the reason our ancestors came to this area."

Minority Leader David Litvack, D-Utah, said he had hoped to be able to support the resolution once it came up for a vote, but stressed the language is just too strong for him.

"To me, the rhetoric, the inflammatory nature of it goes too far."

The resolution prevailed on a 63 to 11 vote. An identical resolution sponsored by Sen. Kevin Van Tassell, R-Vernal, passed in the Senate 27-1.

e-mail: amyjoi@desnews.com