Utah legislators want to spark Supreme Court case over returning federal land to private ownership

Conservative Utah officials are trying to spark a Supreme Court case that could potentially allow them to develop resource-rich parcels of land that are currently owned by the federal government and off-limits to energy development. 60% of Utah's land is federally owned, which officials from the state claim hurts their ability to generate tax revenues and fund public schools. These legislators wish that if the Supreme Court hears such a case, it will establish a precedent against eminent domain, which currently allows the government to take private property for public use. This type of ruling would be a big breakthrough for states' rights, but it's unlikely that the Supreme Court would even decide to review the case. One of the areas legislators like Christopher Herrod, a Provo Republican, are looking at to develop is the pristine Kaiparowits Plateau, which is currently part of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Kaiparowits is thought to hold large coal reserves. Said Herrod, "In the Kaiparowits Plateau alone there is a trillion dollars worth of natural resources. Had that been privatized ... we'd have $50 billion in our school trust land." Read more at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100211/ap_on_re_us/us_federal_land.

Great, Utah, let's destroy all of your amazing natural scenery to fund public schools. This is a worthless idea. I know that energy development brings in a lot of dollars, but how about tourist dollars from the millions of visitors who flock to Utah's National Parks and other scenic areas? The outstanding scenery of the Colorado Plateau is Utah's greatest resource, not the minerals underground. The minute Utah shifts its focus to energy development is the minute tourism goes down the drain. Besides, these natural areas can continue to help Utah's economy for years if they are preserved correctly, while mining for coal and other minerals will eventually stop being profitable when we develop alternative forms of energy or when these resources run out. The Kaiparowits is one of Utah's least known but most valuable treasures, and I can't imagine it run over with power plants, trains, and energy yahoos driving diesel-spewing trucks who have not respect for the land. Lets hope this bill doesn't make it to the Supreme Court, although if it did, I'm confident that the justices would have enough common sense not to rule in favor of these Utah officials. HAYDUKE LIVES!