In response to a decision by Utah’s School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) to lease nearly 100,000 acres of state-owned public lands in the Book Cliffs of eastern Utah to Anadarko Petroleum, the Center for Western Priorities issued the following statement from its Policy Director Greg Zimmerman:
“Leasing prized acreage in the Book Cliffs to an oil company raises serious doubt over the state’s ability to manage its lands. In the past, Utah has pushed controversial measures to take over management of federal lands. This decision makes the state’s ongoing efforts to expropriate federal lands look even more ridiculous and ill-conceived.”
SITLA manages about 3 million acres of state-owned lands. Last year, Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed a bill—widely considered unconstitutional—to compel the federal government to hand over 30 million acres of federal public lands within the state’s borders.
The Book Cliffs are widely regarded as among the best hunting grounds in the state. Governor Herbert has joined a suite of sportsmen groups condemning the decision, but the SITLA has so far rejected their concerns.