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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah Senate resolution with the endorsement of Gov. Gary Herbert received unanimous approval in a legislative committee Wednesday encouraging the pursuit of a new federal designation for the Wasatch canyons.
The vote by the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee came despite strong reservations about SCR10 by committee Chairman Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City.
Thatcher said his vote to advance the resolution out of the committee was only because of a promise he made to former Senate President Wayne Niederhauser, R-Sandy, but his support would not continue on the Senate floor unless his concerns were addressed.
"There is a pretty clear indication there are some concerns," Thatcher said after hearing from 10 dueling witnesses lined up on opposite sides of the resolution.
"I have long had questions about Mountain Accord, I have long had concerns about Mountain Accord," he said, adding his concerns on the issue were amplified after receiving multiple out-of-state emails in support of the resolution.
Mountain Accord, which was sued for violating the state's open meetings law, fostered an interlocal agreement to form the Central Wasatch Commission.
The commission represents 10 entities and 1.2 million people and is pursuing congressional legislation for an 80,000 recreation and conservation designation, including 8,000 acres of wilderness.
Christopher Robinson, who said he had been involved in the Mountain Accord process since its inception and is a new member of the commission, said it was the most "collaborative and consensus-based process" he'd been involved in.
Some canyon residents disputed that and said they don't see the need for a designation until transportation and other infrastructure improvements are made.
"Now is not the time for a federal designation," said Barb Cameron, head of the Big Cottonwood Canyon Association. "A no vote today would be a mountain of help for our struggling canyons."
Norm Henderson, who sued Mountain Accord, said the process remains the "fruit of the poisonous tree," and the resolution flies in the face of a state law requiring counties themselves to seek legislative approval and provide detail on the designation itself.
Nathan Rafferty, president of Ski Utah, also spoke in favor of the resolution and described a collaborative process.
