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SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert said Thursday a strongly worded resolution from Utah lawmakers opposing a new Bears Ears national monument won't hurt his discussions about the designation with the Obama administration.
"I don't think it's going to jeopardize anything that we're doing," the governor said during his monthly news conference on KUED. "It seems to be a helpful piece of information for the president."
Later Thursday, Herbert signed the resolution approved Wednesday in a special legislative session that challenges the president's authority to create a monument under the Antiquities Act and calls for the state to pursue "all legal options" to prevent it from happening.
The governor said he hopes the resolution will help President Barack Obama recognize that while he says he has the authority to set aside the 1.9 million acres in San Juan County as a national monument, he "ought to listen to the people of Utah."
The resolution, the governor said, reflects that "the Legislature is wanting to weigh in on behalf of the people of Utah." He called the special session to reinstate vetoed education funding and added the resolution to the agenda.
A UtahPolicy.com poll released shortly before the start of the special session found that only 17 percent of Utahns want the area considered sacred by Native Americans to become a national monument.
Most polled by Dan Jones & Associates wanted to leave the land as it is, but 31 percent said they support it becoming a national conservation area, something Herbert said may better address tribal needs.
The additional visitors a national monument might attract "into a sacred area for Native Americans, that could be counterproductive," the governor said, limiting their access to the land.
He said he's working with the Obama administration to avoid being "blindsided" by a new national monument designation, as happened 1996 when then-President Bill Clinton announced the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Obama has been invited to visit the state's national parks to see firsthand that Utah has been "very responsible with what we've done and how we've developed our natural resources," the governor said.
"I think we're getting closer," he said, citing his discussions with the Obama administration, as well as the efforts by Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah, and other members of the state's congressional delegation to pass a public lands initiative.
Herbert warned against the state taking legal action to stop a national monument designation during a debate last month with his opponent in the June 28 Republican primary, Overstock.com Chairman Jonathan Johnson.
"All of the good work we've done for the past few years with our congressional delegation would be thrown out the window. We will have a national monument designation by next Friday if we file that litigation today," Herbert said then.
#bears_ears
Herbert kicked off the monthly news conference by asking that the state set a goal of becoming the nation's leader in public education achievement. What benchmarks would be used to determine that ranking have yet to be decided, the governor said.
But he said making Utah No. 1 will require parental engagement, more resources for teachers and "a new spirit of collaboration and cooperation" to replace the divisiveness over the Utah Common Core Standards "tearing us apart."
Common Core has been a big issue in the governor's race. Herbert dropped his support for the standards at the state GOP convention in late April but still lost 45 percent to 55 percent to Johnson.
And after harsh criticism from House Speaker Greg Hughes, R-Draper, the governor backed off an effort to get lawmakers to consider eliminating a testing requirement related to Common Core known as SAGE at the special session.
Herbert said the speaker was invited to a meeting to talk about the issue but did not come.
"If he had been in the meeting, I think he would have understood more clearly what we were trying to do," the governor said.
Hughes' office said the only meeting he missed dealt with public safety issues.
The speaker had said in response to the possibility of the SAGE issue being on the special session agenda that the "legislative branch has not been grafted into the governor's re-election campaign."
Related:
After criticism, Herbert backs off push for SAGE on special session agenda
After drawing harsh criticism, Gov. Gary Herbert backed off of an attempt to get lawmakers to address an issue related to the controversial Common Core standards in Utah at next week's special session of the Legislature.Also Thursday, the governor reiterated his concern that a new directive from the Obama administration that public schools allow transgender students to use bathrooms that match their gender identity is more federal overreach.
"We all ought to be sensitive to the issue that all children — and I emphasize all children — ought to be treated with respect. There ought to be a sense of dignity, a sense of safety and privacy" in using bathroom or other facilities, Herbert said.
He said local entities should decide how best to make "reasonable accommodations" if students feel uncomfortable. And he said allowing transgender students to use a bathroom that is not private "ends up exacerbating the bullying problem."
Contributing: Keith McCord
