01.20.16

Ranking Member Grijalva on Chairman Bishop’s Public Lands Initiative: “Public Input and Give-and-Take are Keys to Successful Deals”

Washington, D.C. – Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) released the following statement on today’s unveiling of Chairman Rob Bishop’s “Public Lands Initiative,” an attempt to redraw the map of public lands and land use regulations across the state of Utah.

“My position on this effort is less important than those of the stakeholders whose lives this bill could change forever. As we’ve seen time and time again, sweeping public lands bills don’t pass without local buy-in and genuine give-and-take. Chairman Bishop has advertised his efforts to gather that input, and we look forward to a Committee hearing where stakeholders can express their views on this proposal.

“That hearing should include representatives of the large coalition of Utah Tribal organizations that recently left Chairman Bishop’s discussion group. After publicly expressing frustration at their concerns being ignored, they deserve a chance to discuss the many ways this bill would impact tribal lands.

“We should remember that this is not the only public lands bill before our Committee. Among many other examples, Rep. Lois Capps’ H.R. 1865 and Rep. Derek Kilmer’s H.R. 2665, which would expand wilderness areas in their respective states, have been languishing without a hearing for months. Rep. Sanford Bishop’s H.R. 482 and Rep. John Carney’s H.R. 1772 – uncontroversial bills that would mean a great deal to their respective communities – have yet to receive a markup. We welcome Chairman Bishop’s renewed interest in public lands legislation and hope the many other Members with similar bills can get Committee action in the near future.”

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