Utah State Legislature Considers Suing Feds Over Ownership of Land

This isn’t the first time Utah has taken a stand against federal overreach in the state. In 2014, Governor Gary Herbert signed into law the Transfer of Public Lands Act, which repossessed 31.2 million acres of the state’s land that had been seized by the feds. With any luck, Gov. Herbert will overcome any reservations he has and stand once again for the ranchers of Utah.

“But the governor noted there’s no guarantee the state would win in court. He said he’d prefer to see Congress resolve the long-standing issue of having more than 66 percent of the state’s lands under federal control.

The public lands initiative recently unveiled by Utah GOP Reps. Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz is a ‘better, more sure way of getting it done,’ Herbert said. Still, he said the initiative doesn’t exclude a lawsuit.

What would boost his enthusiasm for a court case, Herbert said, is for other Western states to join Utah in a lawsuit. Less than 5 percent of the land in states east of Colorado is under federal control compared with more than 50 percent in the West.

‘I think there is discussion along that very line,’ the governor said. ‘Having other states of like mind joining together gives us a stronger voice and helps share the costs. If that was to be the case, I would certainly welcome that.’

It will be up to Attorney General Sean Reyes’ office whether the state files suit, but lawmakers would have to approve the funds. Hughes said later that the $14 million price tag is an estimate that initially gave lawmakers pause.

‘I think it did before, but when you put it in its context, I don’t think it’s as big an issue,’ the speaker said. ‘What we’re talking about, we really need to get to a point where we need to move forward and make a strong case for this … or not.’

Source: Deseret News