Inflation is hovering between 2% and 3%, violent crime is down, gas prices are low, and fewer people are illegally crossing the border.
Those who voted for Trump were either duped into believing there were problems or they favor the chaos he has promised.
Utah’s government is also trying to dupe us over the public lands issue. 87% of Utahns recreate in the outdoors and 70% prefer “leaders place more emphasis on protecting air, water, wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities than drilling and mining.”
Utah’s leaders haven’t heard. If the state manages the BLM lands it is suing over, it will find it difficult to manage them without huge economic disruptions. With more resources, federal lands could be managed better, but if the state takes over, they will have to open them to fossil fuel production, mineral extraction and sell to developers to attempt management.
We know from the taxpayers subsidies for the 11 ports planned across Utah, the money will go to corporations and developers, often with legislative ties, and without accountability or a public input process.
If public lands are being used by thousands more people each year, and Utah predicts a massive population surge (afterall, that’s why they say the ports are necessary), it seems we’d also need an increase in public lands, managed for the use of all people to enjoy.
Utah is a beautiful state and I feel lucky every day I look out my window to live here. But until our leaders do more than pay lip service to the importance of public lands, and the income they already generate, I’d like them to keep their hands off our public lands and don’t let Trump decimate them.
Patty Becnel, Ogden
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