This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah's federal and state lawmakers view public lands as a cornucopia of natural resources and drool over the prospects of new mines, oil and gas wells, nuclear power plants, oil shale extraction, refineries and any development that only benefits big business, and themselves, as they rake in donations, rarely creates large numbers of permanent jobs and leaves a wake of environmental degradation as a lasting legacy.
The refinery that will apparently be built near Green River will be the first new one constructed in 40 years. Oil shale extraction has been given the green light, and the fight for a nuclear power plant adjacent to Green River is still being proposed.
Meanwhile, the state is suing the government for control of federal land, spending thousands of dollars to prevent the sage grouse from being listed as an endangered species and to pay a bounty on coyotes. It spends thousands more dollars to keep out invisible wolves.
Our legislators have proven how they'll be "wise stewards" of Utah's public lands, if by some miracle they were actually able to acquire them. I, like millions of others, only think of the horror! The horror!
Allen Livingston
Huntington