Governor warns wild lands policy could cost Utah billions

Gov. Gary Herbert warned Congress on Tuesday that a new Interior Department policy creating protected "wild lands" could cost Utah billions and weaken his state’s economy. Herbert, testifying before the House Natural Resources Committee, criticized the recent directive that allows land managers to seek out and protect public lands with wilderness characteristics, calling it a "grave error" with lasting consequences. "This body and your colleagues ought to be just as offended as the people of Utah are by this order," Herbert said. "By bureaucratic fiat, one branch of the government has overstepped and overreached and has devalued the rights of the states and [their] citizens." Herbert said it would be "safe to say" the long-term effect of the policy could cost billions to Utah’s Permanent School Fund, which receives money from mineral development on trust lands set aside for that purpose...more