The Salt Lake Tribune
July 6, 2009, Public Forum Letter

It was fair to allow Rep. Rob Bishop to weigh in on the Sagebrush Rebellion ("History is on the side of the Sagebrush Rebellion," Opinion, June 28). But since Bishop is talking history, he could have simply parroted historian Bernard DeVoto's classic characterization of the response by western states to federal land management: "Get out and give us more money."

Bishop says Utah policymakers can be trusted to manage these lands, if only given the chance. It's easy to anticipate what would happen to Utah's public lands were they handed over for state disposal. If the past year or so of experience is any indication, we could expect to see hundreds more four-wheelers driven up riverbeds in wilderness areas, more proposals for nuclear power plants on places like the Green River to generate "cheap" electricity for California, groundwater from our west desert being sold off to Las Vegas, and continued avoidance of due process and environmental impact studies in order to expedite more oil shale leases.

This definition of "multiple use" might be what some state policymakers have in mind, but reckless exploitation of public land for short-term gain isn't in the interest of those they're elected to represent.

English Brooks

Ephraim