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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A U-S appeals court says Utah and federal government officials might not have been open enough about a 2003 wilderness settlement.
The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals yesterday heard arguments from environmentalists and government officials over the agreement.
It eliminated nearly 6 (M)million acres from temporary wilderness protection in Utah, ending a 1996 lawsuit the state had filed against the federal government over earlier wilderness inventories.
Environmentalists say the agreement violates land management practices dating back to the Reagan administration.
But the state has argued the deal was open, and environmentalists could have opposed it to begin with -- but didn't.
The 3-judge appeals court panel in Denver heard arguments yesterday, but might not rule for a while.
(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
