This week Interior Secretary Sally Jewell is visiting multiple towns in Southeast Utah to hear local concerns about federal lands.
Jewell is traveling with a delegation of high ranking federal officials. Wednesday she met with Governor Herbert, toured the San Rafael Swell with Emery County officials, and attended a meeting in Moab, where she was greeted with a sea of T-shirts and signs supporting the Bears Ears as a new national monument.
“This is democracy," she said. "I mean, this is how our country works, and, you know, listening to each other in a respectful way. Having a large group of people that have different points of view by the shirts they’re wearing and the signs they’re carrying, and being very respectful of each other, I appreciate.”
As a former petroleum engineer, Secretary Jewell stressed that she respects the need for mining and drilling while maintaining environmental credibility.
“I go to bed every night saying, have I thought about the long game," she said. "Consider that I’m in the forever business. So I thought about, am I leaving the world better, not just for my grandchildren, but great grandchildren and the generations that follow. And that means a strong economy, and it also means a healthy environment and a healthy ecosystem. I’m an outdoor girl and I love playing in your back yard."
"I want to make sure those places are available but I also appreciate my cell phone. It’s full of all kinds of minerals, you know, the cars we drive use fuel, and I do think the long game means being smarter about how we use our resources.” said Jewell.
Jewell’s party is being shadowed by staffers from representatives Rob Bishop and Jason Chaffetz, who this week released another new draft of the Public Lands Initiative, which would preclude any new national monuments. Chaffetz aide Fred Ferguson said it’s still hoped that the Initiative will be passed by congress this year.
“It covers 18 million acres of federal land in seven Eastern Utah counties," said Ferguson. "It’s been in the works for about three years, and we’ve got, you know roughly 4.6 million acres of lands identified for conservation purposes, over a million acres of land identified for recreation and multiple use type purposes.”
The most recent polling gives Bears Ears a 71 percent approval rating in Utah, but local officials in Moab, as in most of the rural counties, are more evenly split. Grand County council member Lynn Jackson told Jewell the BLM hasn’t provided for enough drilling and mining.
“And it’s high time the Antiquities Act, we take a look at. It came on board in 1906 as a very great idea. I don’t believe they ever intended for it to be used as it has been used in the last decade or two, for two million acres, or 1.8 million acres,” he said.
In contrast, council member Mary McGann said Bears Ears is her highest priority.
“The Bears Ears and Cedar Mesa are perhaps one of the greatest treasures we have," said McGann. "The antiquities there, the archeological sites date back to the Ice Age. And it also has many antiquities from the Mormon pioneers. And that’s not even mentioning the beauty of the place, it’s just spectacular. So I want it protected.”
On Saturday Secretary Jewell’s entourage will host what is expected to be a lively public meeting in Bluff, where she will hear from the tribal members who are proposing Bear Ears.
