This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Recently, Gov. Gary Herbert tried to convince people that Utah has a commitment to public lands and recreation. It is a fallacy.
During his tenure as governor, Utah State Parks has seen its general fund tax dollars cut. The Office of Outdoor Recreation was a direct result of an earlier battle with the Outdoor Industry Association over Utah's public lands policy.
The promotion of the national parks in Utah happens because tourism is big business. But remember: It was Utah's junior senator who caused them to be shut down in 2013.
The governor facilitated access to private land by signing HB141 in 2010 that took away access to thousands of miles of streams. The improvement of big game habitat comes from hunting and fishing license revenue that by law must be used by the DWR for such improvements.
Meanwhile, the governor has signed message bill after message bill railing on the federal government while spending millions on a lawsuit that has no basis demanding back lands that never belonged to the state, bogus RS2477 claims, fighting Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, supporting Rep. Rob Bishop's ill-conceived PLI bill, etc.
No, Gov. Herbert, you do not have a commitment to public lands and recreation and your record shows it.
Alan Sanderson
Salt Lake City