The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear Utah’s challenge to public lands, dealing a blow to the state’s efforts to wrest control of millions of acres of land from the federal government.
In August, the state filed a lawsuit asking the court to declare the federal Bureau of Land Management’s ownership of 18.5 million acres of land in Utah unconstitutional, with potential consequences for public lands across the country.
The filing, which state leaders said was the result of “decades of legal analysis,” targeted BLM lands “not appropriate” for parks, monuments or other national sites.
Utah argued that the BLM’s ownership and oversight of these lands harms state sovereignty and that the federal government should begin “disposing of these lands.”
Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, House Speaker Mike Schultz and Attorney General Derek Brown said they were disappointed by the court’s decision, but noted that the decision does not prevent not the state to bring the case to federal district court in the future. .
“We are also comforted to know that the new administration (Trump) shares our commitments to the principle of ‘multiple use’ of these federal lands and is committed to working with us to improve land management,” they said. said in a statement Monday. “We will continue to fight to keep public lands in public hands because they are our stewardship, our heritage and our home. »
The state has paid more than $500,000 to Clement & Murphy, PLLC, a Virginia-based law firm, since 2023 to litigate the case.
Utah also budgeted more than $2.6 million for a public relations campaign aimed at “raising awareness” that BLM policies regarding public lands in the West “harm Utahns by restricting access to public lands, hindering active management and reducing economic and recreational opportunities. »
Sen. John Curtis said he would continue to work with state officials on public lands issues despite the court’s choice.
“I cannot emphasize enough that with 70 percent of our state controlled by the federal government, daily life in Utah is affected by decisions made in Washington,” he said in a statement. “Building roads, moving livestock, and clearing campgrounds all require navigating a giant bureaucracy that works against the average Utahn.”
Rep. Celeste Maloy expressed support for state leaders’ efforts to bring public lands under local control, saying in a statement that “Utahns, the people living and working closest to these lands, should not be excluded from management decisions by bureaucrats at the local level.” agencies. »
Senator Mike Lee also expressed frustration with the court’s refusal, adding that “the fight for local control and state sovereignty is far from over, and this setback does not stop the state from making assert these arguments in a lower court.”
In December, the nonprofit Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) sued Utah’s governor and attorney general for bringing the case to the Supreme Court.
The group wants the state’s 3rd District Court to bar Utah from challenging the constitutionality of “unappropriated” public lands in any court.
“We are grateful that the Supreme Court quickly dismissed the State of Utah’s misguided land grab lawsuit,” Steve Bloch, SUWA legal director, said in a statement. “For more than 100 years, the Supreme Court has affirmed the power of the federal government to own and manage public lands on behalf of all Americans. »
Utah House Minority Leader Angela Romero, a Democratic congresswoman from Salt Lake City, hailed the Supreme Court’s decision as a “victory for all Americans and for the protection of our environment” in a statement.
“Today’s actions remind us that our public lands should not be privatized or exploited for short-term profits,” she said.
