Utah Gov. Gary Herbert has appointed Brad Barber to his Balanced Resource Council.
Barber, an environmental consultant, economist and lifelong Utahn, said he will do his best to "provide the appropriate balance" to the council, and "a strong voice for conservation."
"We need to keep pushing forward," he added. "We need to make progress. I know it won't be easy, but I'd like to take a shot at it."
The council includes public- and private-sector representatives who work together to address environmental, natural resource and public lands issues. The council is focused now on such projects as county lands bills, land exchanges, grazing reform, and a road rights-of-way project in Iron County.
Herbert called Barber's approach "innately balanced."
"Due to his extensive public sector experience, he both understands and appreciates competing viewpoints — [ and is] one of those rare people who simultaneously sees the big picture while having a firm grasp on the details," Herbert said. "Because he knows Utah and its people very well, I am confident he will bring the constructive approach to the council to help us identify solutions that work."
Barber has recently worked with The Wilderness Society, The Nature Conservancy, Envision Utah and Kennecott Land. Prior to 2002, Barber worked under three Utah governors for 20 years in the Governor's Office of Planning and Budget, where he was senior economist and director of demographic and economic analysis for part of his time in the Capitol.
Earlier this spring, Pat Shea resigned from the council when, according to his account, Herbert refused to enter a dialogue with U.S. Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey about the "shared values" about land programs in the state and federal government. Shea, an attorney and a former director of the Bureau of Land Management in the Clinton administration, wrote an opinion piece that said the governor does not want "to do the right thing, just the politically expedient thing" through the panel.
Twitter: @judyfutah
