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HURRICANE, Utah (AP) -- A citizens' group wants more study before a proposed federal plan on growth and conservation in Washington County can take effect.
"We have to ask ourselves some hard questions. How do we grow smarter and not just bigger?" said Lin Alder, director of Citizens for Dixie's Future. "This bill should be postponed until we can improve the process and have real community-wide discussions."
The proposed legislation is scheduled to come before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Forests and Forest Health on Thursday. Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, are co-sponsors of the bill, which includes provisions to establish wilderness areas, promote conservation goals and protect endangered species. But it would also allow up to 25,000 acres of public land to be sold to private developers.
"This bill is an environmental disaster," said Scott Groene, director of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance in Salt Lake City. "It's complex legislation that raises a significant number of issues for many people."
Groene's group, the Sierra Club, and the Wilderness Society oppose the bill, largely because of the sale of public land. The Bureau of Land Management already has designated 4,300 acres it wants to sell.
Washington County Commissioner Alan Gardner told the Hurricane City Council that the plan is not just a way to develop the land for housing.
"There are a lot of misconceptions out there, and we're just trying to get the word out about the land sales. It could be 20 acres sold, or the full 20,000 acres," he said. "Any lands that do come in for sale would be subject to existing planning and zoning regulations. And it will happen over a period of time. It's not going to be 'for sale next week."'
Gardner will testify before the House subcommittee next week.
"There are some trade-offs in the bill, but I think this is as good as we can get," he said. "It will go a long way toward resolving wilderness issues."
------ Information from: Deseret Morning News, http://www.deseretnews.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
