Hatch, Curtis Introduce Wilderness Bill for Emery County, UT

Photo:  Bob Wick

Earlier today, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch and Representative John Curtis introduced legislation to protect public lands in Emery County, Utah for their conservation and outdoor recreation values.  The Emery County Public Land Management Act of 2018 seeks to protect nearly one-million acres of public land, including more than 500,000 acres of Wilderness.  Though this bill takes an important first step toward legislating important protections for public lands in the county, some areas important for outdoor recreation are left unprotected by the bill.
We worked with our coalition partners Outdoor Alliance and the Outdoor Industry Association on a formal statement (below) thanking Senator Hatch and Representative Curtis for introducing the bill.  We look forward to working with Senator Hatch and Representative Curtis to identify conservation and recreation goals that are not addressed in the current legislation, and to advocate for those goals through the legislative process.
The Conservation Alliance also submitted a formal comment outlining our specific recommendations.