A Forbes op-ed urges the federal government, which owns 67 percent of Utah land, to get out of the way and allow the Beehive State to unlock the riches of its own natural resources.
Writes Bob Williams:
The federal government’s ownership and management of land across the country is not a new concept. In fact the government still owns one-quarter of the nation’s land, the vast majority of which is in western states, where Washington, D.C., owns more than half the land.
The cause for concern in western states comes when that government reach is too big and too intrusive, and when the federal government fails to adequately manage that land. In Utah, where 67 percent of land is federally owned, the federal government handcuffs the state by blocking access to potential revenues from natural resources, essentially swallowing the key to natural resources and economic prosperity. It’s time to give to Utah what is Utah’s: the key to unlock the riches of their own land.
