Press Release | Stewart on dept. of Interior Wilderness Designation Report

FARMINGTON – Candidate Chris Stewart expressed deep concerns over a report that the Department of Interior has released which details backcountry areas in Utah they want to designate as wilderness; the report ignores the voices of 22 Utah counties telling the administration, at DOI’s request, they do not currently have any lands they believe should be designated as wilderness. As the proposal has already been rejected at the local level, Chris fears the administration may bypass Congress and designate the areas as National Monuments – a move that harkens back to the designation of the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument.

“Everyone wants to protect our wilderness,” Stewart said. “But the process of wilderness designation must begin from the request of local elected officials and leaders in correlation with local citizens – those who will be most affected by the decisions that are made. It makes many of us suspicious when the process appears to be a backdoor for the Administration to do what it has already determined to do, regardless of local input.”