|
Home >
Legislative Tracker
> Land and Water Reinvestment
Public Lands:
Land and Water Reinvestment
Our Position: no position
Bill Number: hb102s2
Sponsor: Rep David Clark (R-Santa Clara)
Legislative Session: 2007 General Session
This legislation would appropriate $2 million in ongoing funds for each of 3 programs: the LeRay McAllister Critical Land Conservation Fund, the Rangeland Improvement Fund, and watershed rehabilitation administered by the Department of Natural Resources.
Status
The Sierra Club takes no position on this bill because it's entirely possible it will do as much harm as good. Our members and volunteer leaders would all love to see an additional $2,000,000 spent on protecting open space. However, $4,000,000 would be available to be spent on a grab bag of grazing promotion projects. These can include dragging a heavy boat chain between two heavy tractors to destroy pinyon and juniper or sagebrush on public lands, capturing natural springs and piping the water sometimes miles away to cattle troughs, setting up machines that shoot cyanide pellets to which doomed coyotes are lured with bait, shooting coyotes from helicopters, and planting non-native grass species on public lands for the benefit of private ranchers' cows and sheep.
In short twice as much funding goes to the same programs that have been beating up public lands for decades as goes to protecting private lands from development. Is it a good deal?
Action Needed
This bill has returned to the house for concurrence on the second substitution.
Contact
To read the text of the substitute bill, click here. To find your senator, consult the district maps.
Background
Section 4-20-3 of the Utah Code lists projects that may be funded through the Rangeland Improvement Fund. Funds may be spent on the following:
"a) range improvement and maintenance;
b) the control of predatory and depredating animals
c) the control, management, or extermination of invading species, range damaging organisms, and poisonous or noxious weeds;
d) the purchase or lease of lands for the benefit of a grazing district;
e) watershed protection, development, distribution, and improvement; and
f) the general welfare of livestock grazing within a grazing district."
|
