Nature is at risk. Join us in safeguarding millions of acres in the U.S. for future generations.
Conservation Lands Foundation responds to Utah’s public land grab lawsuit to the U.S. Supreme Court affecting all public lands
Conservation Lands Foundation
|August 20, 2024
Washington, D.C. - Today, the state of Utah filed a lawsuit before the Supreme Court demanding ownership of 18.5 million acres of federal public land in the state. The case could significantly affect access to public lands not only in Utah but also throughout the Western United States and Alaska. As the only non-profit organization solely focused on protecting the public’s access to lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the Conservation Lands Foundation issued the following statement in response to the lawsuit:
Statement from Jocelyn Torres, Co-Interim Executive Director and Chief Conservation Officer:
“This lawsuit is as frivolous as they come and a blatant power-grab by a handful of Utah politicians whose escalating aggression has become an attack on all public lands as we know them. Their previous attempt to decimate America’s cherished Grand Staircase Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments and their attack on the Public Lands Rule clearly shows their intention to take away opportunities for enjoying, recreating on, and accessing public lands.
“Public lands are increasingly among the last places that bring people together, making this lawsuit a cynical, divisive move that blatantly ignores the fact that only Congress can transfer or dispose of federal lands, serving as a safeguard against such attacks. The lawsuit is an enormous waste of taxpayer dollars at a time when Utah’s public lands continue to be an economic engine and lifeline for communities throughout the state and when Utahns and all Americans overwhelmingly support their access to them.”
####
About Conservation Lands Foundation
We’re the only nonprofit leading a national movement of community-based advocates who care for America’s NATIONAL CONSERVATION LANDS of natural, historical, cultural and recreational significance.
You might also be interested in...
Leave a comment
1 reaction
-
Conservation Lands Foundation published this page in Latest News 2024-08-20 14:46:57 -0600
