Wild lands policy essential for sustainable industry, wilderness protection

“Attorney General Mark Shurtleff is happy to make Utah the first energy-rich state to object to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s move to return the Bureau of Land Management to its original mission of identifying public lands that deserve to be protected. And Gov. Gary Herbert, who pocketed at least $396,000 in campaign contributions from energy developers just last year, is perfectly willing to make the announcement that Utah wants to prevent the BLM setting aside lands valuable for their scenic beauty, watershed, quiet recreational opportunities and cultural treasure.”  Editorial – The Salt Lake Tribune

Red Rock protection more widely supported than critics claim

“In the last Congress, ARRWA had 167 cosponsors in the House and 22 in the Senate. These represented 35 of the 50 United States, three territories and the District of Columbia. The numbers generally reflected the country’s population distribution. In the House, 48 cosponsors were from every state in the West except Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. Anyone familiar with Washington knows that these numbers are extremely high for a bill and reflect widespread support for protecting Utah’s wilderness — not just in the Eastern states, but all across America.”  Letter-to-the-editor – The Salt Lake Tribune

Oil shale: ‘The petroleum equivalent of fool’s gold’

“’Oil shale is a much misunderstood resource. It’s the petroleum equivalent of fool’s gold. We’ve been trying to do this for more than a century and we’re still in the research and development phase.’ The concern is that the extraction process is unproven, costly and difficult, with the potential to alter landscapes and pollute the region’s water supplies.”  Read more – Public News Service