Public Lands Initiative is successfully building a lasting plan

“More than two years ago, two Utah congressmen, Republicans Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz — working closely with Gov. Gary Herbert — launched the Utah Public Lands Initiative (PLI), aimed at ending three decades of uncertainty over whether to protect or develop public lands in eastern Utah.

We are among the dozens of stakeholders in this ongoing collaborative effort, which also includes other county commissioners, state legislators, Native Americans, Utah's School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA), conservation interests, recreationists and ranchers.

As Bishop has said, the Public Lands Initiative is rooted in the belief that conservation and economic development can coexist and make Utah a better place to live, work and visit. If successful, this effort will settle some of the most challenging land disputes in the state.” 

Marcia Argust is project director of the U.S. Public Lands Program for the Pew Charitable Trusts. Mike McKee is a Uintah County commissioner. Ethan Migliori is an Emery County commissioner. Read the full op-ed, Public Lands Initiative is successfully building a lasting plan, on The Salt Lake Tribune's Web site.