April 22, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SUWA Statement on House Natural Resources Federal Lands Subcommittee Field Hearing in Hurricane, UT – 4.22.24
Contacts:
Travis Hammill, DC Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); travis@suwa.org
Kya Marienfeld, Wildlands Attorney, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (435) 259-5440; kya@suwa.org
Grant Stevens, Communications Director, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA); (319) 427-0260; grant@suwa.org
Hurricane, UT – Today, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a Field Hearing in Hurricane, UT. A variety of topics were covered, including the proposed Northern Corridor Highway through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA) and the recently finalized Public Lands Rule. Below is a statement from Travis Hammill, SUWA’s DC Director.
“Today’s partisan hearing was out of touch with local and national support for protecting public lands – especially the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area. Despite a hearing title that included the phrase “Empowering Local Voices,” no members of the public were allowed to speak. Local community members sporting “No Highway thru Red Cliffs” stickers made up a majority of the audience and the message was clear,” said Travis Hammill, DC Director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA).
“SUWA was disappointed with today’s attacks on the Public Lands Rule – the Rule highlights what was always there: that conservation is an integral part of how BLM tackles its work, day-in and day-out. Keeping conservation front and center is particularly important in places like Washington County and across Southwest Utah that are seeing both significant growth and the impacts of climate change such as prolonged drought and diminishing water supplies.”
SUWA submitted testimony laying out the history of the Red Cliffs NCA and correcting misinformation presented in today’s one-sided and often baseless testimony. It will be part of the Congressional Record.
Additional Information:
The Northern Corridor Highway
The proposed highway violates at least five federal environmental protection laws (the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act, the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, the Administrative Procedure Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act). Violations of these laws were central to the litigation filed by conservation groups, which has led the BLM to reconsider its decision to approve a highway right-of-way in the NCA. This process is underway right now.
- BLM’s National NEPA Register website for the Supplemental EIS
- BLM and FWS Press Release, November 15th, 2023
- Relevant Court documents
- The Protect Red Cliffs Petition, with 35,828 signatures from people around the world advocating for the protection of the Red Cliffs NCA from the Northern Corridor Highway
- The Protect Red Cliffs Zine—Art and Narratives of a Threatened Place
- Red Cliffs Photo Gallery
- Red Cliffs Video Galley
- Background
The Public Lands Rule
On Thursday, April 18, 2024, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the release of the final Public Lands Rule, which establishes a “… framework to ensure healthy landscapes, abundant wildlife habitat, clean water, and balanced decision-making on our nation’s public lands.” SUWA issued a statement in strong support of the Rule, which will go into effect 30 days following publication in the Federal Register.
- BLM’s webpage on the Public Lands Rule.
- “The BLM Public Lands Rule is a common-sense solution” June 25, 2023 Editorial from the Salt Lake Tribune
- March 30, 2023 SUWA Statement on the Proposed Rule; Advocacy Action from SUWA during the public comment period
- Information regarding public comments received by BLM – 92% of which were supportive.
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The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) is a nonprofit organization with members and supporters from around the country dedicated to protecting America’s redrock wilderness. From offices in Moab, Salt Lake City, and Washington, DC, our team of professionals defends the redrock, organizes support for America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act, and stewards this world-renowned landscape. Learn more at www.suwa.org.
