# HB0276 (Utah Public Land Management Act)



## Mike Honcho (Oct 15, 2008)

Yesterday, the Utah house passed HB0276, "Utah Public Land Management Act," which outlines how the state will manage public land _if_ the state gains control of federal public lands in Utah. The bill passed with sixty-two (62) yeas, ten (10) nays, and three (3) absent.

Although HB0276 has no practical effect, I feel the vote on this bill gives an indication of where our legislators stand on the land transfer/public land issue. What say you? Is this correct? Are there only ten (maybe eleven including one of the absent) members of the Utah house who oppose transferring public lands to the state?


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

Fewer than that. A vote against HB276 wasn't necessarily a vote against the transfer itself.

Support for the land grab in our state legislature and in the U.S. Congress doesn't worry me as much as the failure of most citizens to take this thing seriously. The most common reaction seems to be, "It'll never happen."

Truth is, it can happen and boat loads of money are being spent in a highly organized campaign to see to it that it does happen. The upcoming election will have a significant effect on the viability of the scheme...the election in which most of us don't even bother to vote.


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## Mike Honcho (Oct 15, 2008)

Finnegan,

Thank you for the response. I had some misplaced hope that the answer would be different, but I should have known better. 

Where is the disconnect in Utah? (1) A large portion of Utah residents utilize, enjoy, and support public land. (2) These residents vote for their state and federal representatives. (3) These representatives are openly, or tacitly, hostile to public land. What is happening?

I worked in the Utah legislature. I know how some of the legislators feel about public land. Yet, they did not express these feelings publicly. Therefore, the constituents did not know that their state representatives opposed the very idea of public land. However, over the past few years it has become increasingly clear where the state and federal representatives stand on public land issues. Nevertheless, Utahns continue to reelect the public land opponents to office. What is happening?


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## stevo1 (Sep 13, 2007)

The two biggest ringleaders are Noel and Ken Ivory, Does any one from district 47 use and enjoy the public lands? Here is your chance to make a difference.


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## The Naturalist (Oct 13, 2007)

Mike Honcho said:


> Finnegan,
> 
> Thank you for the response. I had some misplaced hope that the answer would be different, but I should have known better.
> 
> ...


It is very clear what happens...the more moderate representatives will be ostracized by the hierarchy in the Legislature if they don't follow suit. If they want to continue getting the support of the State GOP they had better "goosestep" in line.
This happened to a good friend of mine who was a moderate republican in the State Senate. He served, I believe two terms, but was told in no uncertain terms that if he continued to vote his conscious, that often went against the hierarchy, that he would never get a major committee assignment or support for reelection. 
He decided that his integrity was worth more than that and didn't seek reelection.


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## Finnegan (Sep 7, 2007)

Mike Honcho said:


> Where is the disconnect in Utah? (1) A large portion of Utah residents utilize, enjoy, and support public land. (2) These residents vote for their state and federal representatives. (3) These representatives are openly, or tacitly, hostile to public land. What is happening?


Complicated question, but in short, Utah state government has morphed into a different sort of beast. It certainly isn't Democratic, but it isn't Republican, either. Nor is it conservative. Our "representatives" have become patriarchs with no interest in listening to what we want. Instead, they tell us what they have decided is best for us.


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## Iron Bear (Nov 19, 2008)

^^^ sounds like the way a church is run.


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