Comments about ‘White House shuns wilds bill’

It is so frustrating that an outsider from New York thinks that he knows what is best for Utah's economy. Minimum wage tourism jobs associated with recreation will not make up for the loss of family wage energy production jobs in the proposed wilderness area. Hinchey significantly underestimates the oil and gas resources available in these areas. I agree with Lt. Gov. Bell and our congressmen that we need to take a more surgical approach, as was done in Washington County, rather than this broad-brush approach. Mayor Becker, you should stick to Salt Lake City issues rather than sticking your nose into rural Utah's business. We in the basin don't tell you how to do things in your jurisdiction, please return the favor.

I see no way shutting land down would help with tourism. I moved to Utah from a state lacking in land access and I feel it mostly bennifets those selling alchol. I wish the green hypocrits would just keep their green religion to themselves.

I see no way how shutting land down would help with tourism. I moved to Utah from a state lacking in land access and I feel it mostly bennefits those selling alcohol. People need positive things to do. I wish the green hypocrits would just keep their green religion to themselves.

Lets get Utah back 2/3 of it's land. We don't need more federal control.

Make a new list with the following:

1. National parks we keep, such as Bryce Canyon.
2. National Parks that Utah takes over.
3. BLM and other forests that Utah takes over.
4. Make sure someone like Ted Wilson is at the table so we know we have someone with common sense and cares about the environment.
5. Put Carl Wimmer at the table.
6. Put Jason Chaffetz there as well.

It's significant that most of the speakers at this hearing were favorable to Utah red rock wilderness. They differed about how much wilderness and how the legislation should be put together. I didn't see anybody arguing for letting ORVs ruin more of the public lands, and that's progress.

What all who are opposing ARRWA don't seem to get is that there are millions of acres open to mining and OHV travel now. All abuse to land by machines affects everyone - the entire planet. The politicians and BLM are blind and deaf if they think that leaving this small parcel open to abuse serves Nature and the planet.

Perhaps now that the Administration is withholding support for the bill, Republicans might actually have to vote for it just to maintain the momentum of opposing the President at every turn!

References that ORVs abuse the land are pathetic. ORVs are part of many of our recreational opportunities. If you think they are abusive, lets consider the daily abuse you do to our environment via your automobile. I carpool...do you? My car gets 35mpg and gets a regular maintenence to make sure it is running as efficiently as it can...does your Suburu? Letting some people breath our oxygen is truely an abuse of our natural resources.

The premise that the government or "the people" or the collective owns things, any things, is the very premise at the heart of every "socialist" notion. In socialism the collective owns healthcare, education, transportation, production, communication, and everything else… including LAND. If you believe that the collective owns anything, then believe that it owns everything. Don't live a half-philosophy. Be bold and believe in something. Find your principles and let them be a foundation to you in all things. Freedom is my foundation and I recognize neither a federal right, nor a state right to dispense with land as they see fit. Property rights are the domain of individuals living in a nation. Protection of those rights, not the granting of them, is the domain of government. We do not need a “surgical” approach to rationing Utah’s land, neither do we need to concern ourselves with “serving nature”. We are to be free in all things, including land ownership and corresponding resource exploitation, yes, even in beautiful wilderness areas.

Get the Feds out of Utah and every other state. They have no business interfering with states' rights to regulate land use. All powers not specifically mentioned in the Constitution as belonging to the federal government belong to the states. Go home, BLM! Give us back our land.

To a lot of supporters of this bill,9 million acres does not sound like much,but the supporters couldn't even tell you how many acres are in a section of land without looking it up, so here it is.
This is for a basic land area

9,000,000/640 = 14062 sq miles. (640 acres to the sq mile or 1 section)

14062 sq miles is about 118.5 mile x 118.5 mile footprint.

Even though the areas are scattered around the state,this gives you some idea of the land mass.

In an era where there existed hundreds of acres of land per person and the problems created on my land did not affect your land, I could agree with Ragnar. In a modern era where we can measure the degree of particulate matter in Los Angeles created in factories in Xian, China, such rhetoric can no longer hold sway. Those who tout the anti-socialism agenda seem unprepared to deal with 21st century challenges.

in an area that is almost all wild and open. I can tell you that there is almost a total lack of respect for this area. ORV's go wherever they want to and there are tracks and new paths made every day. Come on down to the area south of Price and take a look for yourselves, or bring your ORV's and tear it up like everyone else does. Don't try to tell me that tourists and those riding the ORV's are environmentalists or that they care for the land or any wilderness. They don't. They want to use it for what makes them happy and they don't want anyone from the federal government telling them anything.

would be part of the collateral damage in this massive takeover. There is no provision to reimburse Utah for the revenue lost in Utah, which is already dead last in per-pupil spending.

The founding fathers would be dumbfounded to see how much power and the degree of resources are being yielded to the federal government. I am confused by Unabashed socialists comments: "In a modern era where we can measure the degree of particulate matter in Los Angeles created in factories in Xian, China, such rhetoric can no longer hold sway." Mr. Socialist, it amazes me how people of your creed can talk out of both sides of the mouth. It is the liberal, socialistic ideology that creates governments that rule Xian, China. Do you see a small discrepancy here? I really prefer the freedom I have over socialist tenants. Go ahead, call me a right-wing whacko. It's still a free land.

Yes! to School trust lands @ 3:38 a.m. This is the scariest part of the bill. This sweeping "wilderness" bill would lock up a large amount of the school trust lands inside it, meaning that our school children would lose out on the "trust" the federal government gave to them when our state was created. School trust lands are meant to create revenue for Utah's students, not sit untouched in a wilderness bill.

I agree - it is really frustrating when people from out-of-state interfere in state business!

Where is the spray paint? Let's all write our names on the rocks. After all it is all about me, right?

When you don't take care of your own children like you should someone has to step in and do it for you. Same with public lands. If we are not taking care of our own public lands then someone else will.
If you see OHV riders not staying on the trails, running amuck where ever they want then you have problems. This is where responsible citizens should step in and gather all the information they can about the offenders and turn them in. Then they should get a big fat fine, lose their right to ride, and reclaim the area they tore up. Most of the time ATV club members and volunteers end up fixing areas these inconsiderate riders tear up. We are tired of being "foster parents" to ignorant uncaring people who think that because no one is watching, they can go where ever and do what ever.
Step up to the plate and turn them in. Take pictures so you have real proof and make them responsible riders or we all lose.

Tongue in cheek suggestion--perhaps a bill should be written to make 9.5 million acres of rep. Maurice Hinchey's beloved New York State a wilderness area. If you think this is about being Green, you are less politicly savvy than I had supposed.