Last week, Jim Dubakis of the Utah State Senate pressed forward in his endeavor to see an end to the state’s threats of suing the federal government for control of federal lands.
The motion, set forth in a bill to require attorney General Sean Reyes would in essence require those supporting the suit, including the man spearheading it, Ken Ivory, to stand down.
At present, Dubakis has agreed to revise the bill and will bring it forth again in June of this year.
What you might find peculiar about this is that Utah has passed its deadline for its ultimatum to the federal government, which was December 31st of last year. Given the nature and veracity of their politicking on the issue, one could easily wonder at this point if they are bluffing.
They are putting money in the coffers to fund the suit, however, some of which is being carefully taken from school trust funds and placed in the Land Exchange Defense Account. Yeah, you read that right. They are going to use money meant for our public schools to wage this suit.
And despite the fact that their own attorneys at the Office of Research and Legislative Council are advising them they cannot win, they continue to posture.
I think that is all they are doing however.
Why?
Political expediency. Ken Ivory and his associates who are waging this dog-and-pony-show know they will lose but in losing they will win the continued support of their unwavering right-wing constituency. Successful failure is what it will be called.
An interesting development reared its head last week as well whereby some sportsman began to question the prudence of the suit as they begin only now to understand that the lands given over to state control could limit their access and increase their permit fees as the public land is sold off to private interests. Most of which will likely be energy industry companies.
But what strikes most peculiar is how I heard this debate passionately framed on my good friend Kate Daley’s show this last week.
Those who would try to see this suit prevail lead with the carrot of telling their supporters two overwhelming lies.
The first is the misconstruing of the language in the Utah Constitution citing that the Federal Government was required at some point to return the control of the land to the State.
But the second and more sinister deception comes in to play when they incite angst in the people by telling them the reason the feds won’t relinquish control of the land is because they see Utahns as too immature and childish to handle the land on their own.
(Ironically, if they fall for this, perhaps they are?)
This lands lawsuit is a punch line laden ruse folks. Nothing more. Control of federal lands to the state would in short order see the transfer of ownership to extractive industries who could give two shits about the will of the people. The leaders who prevailed in this would get rich and the people would be sold out. Period.
We can do better for our state than this Utah.
