The Utah congressional delegation is always busy seeking ways to amend, subvert, and eliminate wilderness and common-sense conservation legislation. This Congress is no different. Senator Mike Lee and Representative John Curtis have both introduced legislation that SUWA opposes, and that would be detrimental to conservation in Utah. Below are a few examples.
• The Outdoor Americans with Disabilities Act, S.4553, introduced by Sen. Lee, is a thinly veiled roads bill that Disabled Hikers, a non-profit organization that advocates for the disability community and justice in the outdoors, has denounced as a “blatant attempt to scapegoat disability as an excuse to build more roads.” Ensuring that everyone can experience Utah’s stunning redrock landscapes is an important aspect of conservation and equity in outdoor recreation, but using the disability community to push his anti-conservation agenda is cynical in the extreme.
• S.3148, the Historic Roadways Protection Act, sponsored by Sen. Lee in the Senate and Rep. Curtis in the House, would prevent the BLM from finalizing and implementing essential travel management plans in Utah. By halting these plans, the agency would be unable to manage and plan for a dramatic spike in motorized vehicle use, leaving millions of acres of wild public lands vulnerable to destruction and degradation. This bill threatens the foundation of some of our most crucial conservation victories—including protections gained for the San Rafael Desert and Labyrinth Canyon.
• S.2820, Congressional Oversight of the Antiquities Act, again sponsored by Sen. Lee and Rep. Curtis, would require congressional approval for new national monuments, preventing presidents from using the Antiquities Act to quickly protect important landscapes. The Antiquities Act is known as “bedrock environmental policy,” and the powers it gives to the office of the president to establish national monuments has been used by both Democratic and Republican administrations. Four out of five national parks in the state of Utah were initially protected as monuments under the act.
• H.R.3397, the Western Economic Security Today Act of 2023 (WEST Act) was introduced by Rep. Curtis last summer and he has advocated for it multiple times in hearings and markups. The bill would force the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to rescind the Public Lands Rule, which reiterates that conservation is part of the BLM’s multiple-use mission and ensures that the agency will manage for this use on a day-in and day-out basis. This bill passed the House of Representatives in April, but so far has not gained traction in the Senate.
• S.4561, verbosely named “A bill to amend the Wilderness Act to allow local Federal officials to determine the manner in which nonmotorized uses may be permitted in wilderness areas, and for other purposes” was introduced by Sen. Lee in June. Its intent is to allow the BLM to permit bikes in wilderness. Bikes are not allowed in wilderness areas because of language in the Wilderness Act prohibiting “other forms of mechanical transport.” Within the state of Utah, there are an abundance of stellar mountain bike trails for people of all skill levels to enjoy. The push to include bikes in wilderness is opposed by a long list of environmental organizations.
Our DC team, backed by SUWA’s legal team, grassroots organizers, and members and supporters, are working to ensure that none of these bills become law. We’re meeting with offices, attending hearings and markups, and building relationships with congressional staff in DC and home districts to make sure that conservation and wilderness protection are at the forefront of our advocacy.
—Travis Hammill
The above first appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of our Redrock Wilderness newsletter. Become a member to receive our print newsletter in your mailbox 3 times a year.
