There’s always somebody who doesn’t get the memo. Such as folks who have yet to learn that Utah is a state where public-lands tourism is key to the economy.
What’s really sad is that among those who have not received, or understood, this information are the members of our congressional delegation.
It will thus be up to other members of Congress — it will only take a handful of Republican votes — to frustrate the latest attempts to destroy the federal lands that drive so much of the state’s economy south of Provo.
Ever since the 1.9 million-acre Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument was created in southern Utah in 1996, Utah’s political class has been up in arms to destroy it. They even convinced President Donald Trump to split it up and shrink it in 2017, only to have it restored by President Joe Biden in 2021.
A new, sneaky attempt to kill the monument without actually killing it is reportedly afoot, led by U.S. Rep. Celeste Maloy. She wants to invoke the little-used Congressional Review Act to have Congress kill the painfully drawn plan the Bureau of Land Management has created for management of the monument.
Voiding the plan would not, by itself, end the monument. But without a proper land-management plan in place, it would be impossible for anyone to know what activities are allowed and what are not.
Such lack of certainty can be fatal to the many businesses that have grown and thrived supporting the tourist economy in and near the monument. Restaurants, lodges and inn, trail guides, gear suppliers.
A group of some 50 owners and managers of businesses in and near the monument — forced to give up on having their own representatives hear them — is circulating a letter to congressional leaders with just that message.
Area farmers and ranchers, even those involved in the extractive industries of mining and drilling, would also benefit if the politicians would stop changing — or eliminating — the rules so they can make decisions to chart their own futures.
Utah leaders will tell you they favor the free market over government intervention. And if you look at the long lines of cars and campers at any of the state’s Mighty Five national parks (four of which started as national monuments), it becomes clear that the market is demanding more outdoor recreation opportunities.
Not more oil wells, coal mines or gated communities with “No Trespassing” signs, nor any of the other ugly things that, for some reason, are not found on the Utah Office of Tourism’s colorful website.
Polls show upwards of 70% of Utahns favor protection of the Grand Staircase and Bears Ears national monuments. It may not be top of mind awareness for many of us, but we care.
Our own lawmakers, it seems, do not care. (A symptom of our state’s incessant gerrymandering.)
So we must implore members of Congress from other states, who may reasonably fear that their national monuments may be next in line for destruction, to come to our aid and block any move to destroy the national monuments most Utahns wish to preserve.
Editorials represent the opinions of The Salt Lake Tribune editorial board, which operates independently from the newsroom.
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible