On Friday, Jan. 22, the House Committee on Natural Resources is holding a field hearing in St. George, Ut, that will focus on management restrictions in BLM’s draft Resource Management Plans (RMP) for the Beaver Dam Wash and Red Cliffs National Conservation Areas (NCA) as well as the plans’ consistency with Washington County provisions in the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. in the Entrada Room B/C in the Dixie Convention Center.
Local officials and members of the community have expressed concerns that the Resource Management Plans unduly restrict multiple-uses in the area, including recreation and grazing. There are also concerns that BLM has misinterpreted provisions of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act in the draft Resource Management Plans and did not adequately coordinate with Washington County and other local stakeholders in the draft’s development, which was publicly released in July 2015.
Rep. Chris Stewart, Committee Chairman Rob Bishop, Federal Lands Subcommittee Chairman Tom McClintock, and additional members of the Committee would like to hear these concerns in a public forum well before the proposed Resource Management Plans/Final Environmental Impact Statement are finalized, which is anticipated in the summer or fall of 2016.
For more information, visit http://naturalresources.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=399786
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