D.C. caucus echoes Utah land-use activists

Even as some Utah conservatives and outdoor enthusiasts are ramping up their plans for a Take Back Utah Rally next month, a chorus of sympathy is resounding in Congress with Wednesday's launch of the Western Senate Caucus.

Members of the Utah Public Lands Multiple Use Coalition met Tuesday night in Sandy to tackle details about marketing, fundraising, parking and the program for an event planned Aug. 8 in downtown Salt Lake City they hope will attract 10,000 supporters.

Their efforts might get a boost from Utah's senators and other Western senators, who held a press conference Wednesday in which the newly formed caucus was touted as a way to uphold "fundamental principles of the West," according to a release.

"We call ourselves the Senate Western Caucus because we represent good western values and we need to underscore the common beliefs Utahns share with our neighbors," Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah said. "However, we are fighting for all Americans who pump gas in their car, turn on the lights at home, or want to feed their children healthy, affordable meals. That's really what our agenda comes down to."

Hatch is one of 11 members of the caucus, which also includes Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, and Republican senators from Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Arizona, Nebraska and Kansas.

One of the primary goals of the caucus is to thwart the "anti-oil" agenda of the Washington elite and the current administration, as well as "extreme" environmentalists, according to the release.

With that, Hatch took aim at Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's decision to rescind the sale and lease of 77 parcels of government land that had been "bought and paid for" at a December Bureau of Land Management auction in Salt Lake City.

Hatch said the lease sales were the result of many years of environmental studies done by Salazar's own people and that his actions effectively ripped land management decisions from his own professionals.

"As one of the senators who initiated the first sagebrush rebellion in the 70s, I recall that debate being largely about land use questions," Hatch said. "The impact of that battle was felt mostly by Westerners. But the anti-oil agenda being pursued by the current administration and Congressional leadership will impact every American in higher gas prices, higher energy prices and higher food prices."