Members of the Utah House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee want no part of a proposal by Rep. Maurice Hinchey, R-N.Y., to designate 9 million acres of Utah Bureau of Land Management land as wilderness. So they forwarded HJR10 to the full House Wednesday. The resolution urges the U.S. Congress and the BLM not to designate any new wilderness in Utah without unanimous approval of Utah's congressional delegation.

Committee members fear more wilderness would limit energy development in Utah, put too many restrictions on off-highway vehicle use and limit grazing rights.

Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance attorney Steven Bloch challenged assertions that wilderness designation has thwarted energy development, noted that the SUWA has opposed fewer than 2 percent of new energy leases. - Tom Wharton