The story of Reagan’s battle with environmentalists, like Adams and the huge organizations that speak for them from San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C., has never been told. Despite conventional wisdom, the battle was not about protecting the environment—Reagan was an environmentalist himself; instead, it was about whether people are part of the ecosystem, as Reagan argued, and between two competing visions of government. That battle posited powerful New Deal–style government run by progressives and technocrats against limited government that emphasized individual liberty and economic freedom.

Read the article here:  When Reagan Asked to Meet the Man Who “Dislikes Me So Much”

Environmentalists pushing White House to put federal land off limits to energy production by abusing authority to designate land as a national monument

(Washington, D.C.) – The top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, along with seven other Republican Senators, including Senator Mike Lee, sent a letter to President Obama asking him not to designate large areas of federal land as national monuments. Far-left environmental groups are urging the White House to designate more land as national monuments, not for the purposes of protecting important historical areas, but to prevent oil and gas production on the land and to boost the re-election efforts of Democratic senators.

“Unilateral monument designations are a direct affront to democracy,” said Senator Mike Lee. “At the very least, Congress should have to approve the designations because the people’s representatives are better situated to know whether or not the citizens of a state approve of or oppose the designation.

“Monument designations under this administration deserve particular scrutiny.  After revelations that the IRS targeted political opponents of the president before the last election, we are now hearing that far-left environmental groups are expecting rewards for their support of the president.  Lands are not the spoils of political battles.  How they can and cannot be used directly affects the local and state economy, and the ability to fund things like education and infrastructure improvements.”

Cosigning the letter with Lee are Sens. David Vitter (R-Louisiana), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Jim Inhfoe (R-Okla.).

Link to press release HERE

English: Bureau of Land Management logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

From The Blue Ribbon Coalition

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Monticello Field Office (MFO) has announced opportunities for the public to share comments and ideas relating to a Special Recreation Permit (SRP) application for an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Safari in San Juan County.

The BLM is considering a proposal by the City of Monticello, Utah to host and conduct guided ATV tours on 16 designated routes, also called trails, in areas throughout the Monticello and Moab Field Offices.

The BLM will be preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) on the proposal, and they invite the public to provide input on preliminary issues and planning criteria for the EA.  A reasonable range of alternatives will be developed to respond to identified issues. Each alternative will outline solutions to the issues and concerns identified.

The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant issues that will influence the environmental analysis, including alternatives, and guide the planning process. Additional information about the proposed project is now available for public review and comment on the Environmental Notification Bulletin Board (ENBB) at: https://www.blm.gov/ut/enbb/index.php; search for project name “ATV Safari.”

Read the rest Here

Be sure to get your comments in before the June 30, 2013 deadline!

Related articles

• BLM wants public feedback on Monticello ATV safari plan (ksl.com)

In his first installment he updates us on 3 battle  in San Juan County on how best to Protect Recapture Canyon an area popular with locals.  It looks like once again the people of San Juan county are being tag teamed by federal agencies and extreme environmental groups like the Great Old Broads for wilderness.

Be sure and bookmark Monte’s blog The Petroglyph  while you’re there. I know he’s got more great articles to come!

From the Moab Sun News:

Michael Brune is taking his family on a road trip for their summer vacation.

Moab is one of the planned stops along the way.

While he’s here, the executive director of the Sierra Club will present “The Value of Utah’s Public Lands” at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 11 at Star Hall.

Brune decided to combine work with the family’s road trip from their home in Alameda, Calif., to Colorado to attend a friend’s wedding.

“He talked to staff and volunteers and said ‘why don’t I use that opportunity to educate the public and excite Sierra Club members about getting some of these proposed areas as national monuments,’” said Dan Chu, the director of the “Wild America” campaign for the Sierra Club.

Read the article HERE

Utah Governor giving a speech. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Via the website of The Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation.

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 21, 2013 -

Today, the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation held an oversight hearing featuring testimony by Utah Governor Gary Herbert, Chairman of the Western Governors’ Association. The hearing highlighted the challenges of western states regarding federal and state land management.

At the hearing, Members and Governor Herbert discussed how states are able to find their own solutions to land management, tailored to their unique circumstances. In contrast, the federal government is bound by a statutory and regulatory framework that keeps them from effective land management.  Utah and other states are successfully managing their lands in ways that protect natural resources and promote a healthy economy, and protect public access.

“Governor Herbert illustrated during today’s hearing that states are effectively and efficiently managing the lands and resources located within their borders and can handle this in the future,” said Subcommittee Chairman Rob Bishop (UT-01). “As we heard today, the federal government isn’t always the better option and as federal budgets get appropriately tighter, we ought to begin examining redundancies between state and federal land management programs. Frankly, the federal government is so often more of a hindrance than a help. If we want to get serious about responsible development of our resources, better land management practices, and real recovery of wildlife species, we ought to be looking more to the states for solutions and not to federal bureaucrats in Washington. I appreciate Governor Herbert’s insight and it is encouraging to see that states are truly leading the way. It is my hope that Washington will finally wake up and see that states are better suited to deal with many of the issues which Washington has managed poorly over the years.”

“Sadly, we have strayed far from this vision of states as independent and robust policy innovators,” said Gov. Gary Herbert, UT. “No one understands state challenges and demographics better than the people who reside and govern there. No one is more committed to the most effective use of limited resources for the best possible outcome, for both our lands and our citizens, than those who will directly live with the consequences of those decisions.”

Read more here: Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation

Related articles

• Utah Gov. Herbert rails against US Land management (sacbee.com)

Sagebrush Rebels showing support for Sagebrush Coalition!

Rest assured that Sagebrush Coalition will put your generous donations to work in the fight to keep the trails open to you in the future. UTV’ers are the Best! We look forward to seeing all of you again next year. And for our readers who haven’t experienced the Rally On The Rocks yet, make plans now to attend in 2014, you won’t be sorry, these folks know how to have fun!

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• Things Heat Up at Rally On The Rocks (motorsportsnewswire.wordpress.com)

English: Logo of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

No wonder it feels like we’re always swimming upstream!

EPA Gives Info For Free to Big Green Groups 92% of Time; Denies 93% of Fee Waiver Requests from Biggest Conservative Critics

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 14, 2013 –

It’s not just the IRS that treats
groups on the right differently from the rest. According to documents
obtained by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the Environmental Protection Agency is in on it too.

Public records produced by EPA in response to a lawsuit filed by CEI
under the Freedom of Information Act illustrate a pattern of making it
far more difficult for limited-government groups – in particular those
who argue for more freedom and less EPA – to access public records.

Such groups are precisely those Congress and courts made clear FOIA
was intended to protect from fees being used as a hurdle to obtaining
information, without prejudice as to their perspective. Worse, CEI has
now obtained proof of the spectacularly disparate nature of the
practice, specifically revealing extraordinarily favorable treatment of
the same green groups it’s been shown to be collaborating with on its
agenda.

Read the rest of the article HERE

Related articles

• The EPA wants in on the scandal barrage, too (rare.us)
• Report: EPA Waivers for ‘Green’ Groups, Denies Conservative, Watchdog Groups (breitbart.com)