Cox backs attorney general in dispute with SUWA over public lands, says state would do better at managing disposal

Gov. Spencer Cox said Utah will support Attorney General Derek Brown in considering legal action after the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA) challenged the state's claims to certain unappropriated public lands.

Cox described SUWA’s public statements as “bizarre” and said the organization’s position that the state lacks rights to unappropriated lands is incorrect. He argued that at statehood Congress agreed to a disposal of lands that the federal government has not honored and that the state could do a better job of managing and protecting those lands.

The governor tied the public-lands dispute to wildfire risk and public access, saying federal land-management decisions have sometimes restricted access and that the state has been hamstrung for decades. “The disposal of the lands was what we agreed to, and... congress has not kept their end of that bargain,” he said, and added the state is “looking at every option available to us.”

Cox said he supports the attorney general and would back a lawsuit if that is the selected course. He described state interest in improving fuels treatment and access on lands that the state believes it should control.

Ending: The governor said Utah will continue to explore legal and policy options and coordinate with the attorney general’s office on next steps.