Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Environment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
House passes resolution urging Fish and Wildlife Service to consider private‑property impacts in Gunnison sage grouse listing
Summary
House Concurrent Resolution 7 asks the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to weigh private‑property and economic impacts in proposed critical-habitat listings for the Gunnison sage grouse, citing local acreage figures and urging exclusions for San Juan County lands; it passed 64–3.
The Utah House passed HCR 7 on Feb. 27, a concurrent resolution urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to recognize and protect private landowner rights and to consider excluding or exempting private properties in San Juan County from proposed critical-habitat designation for the Gunnison sage grouse.
Representative Noel, lead sponsor, said the federal register lists about 1,704,020 proposed acres overall, with roughly 45,500 acres proposed near Monticello; he said 95 percent of the Monticello-area proposed acres are private property and outlined potential economic impacts for ranchers and oil-and-gas leases. Noel recounted a constituent who had an oil-lease option withdrawn after the proposed listing, costing the landowner substantial expected income.
Members debated whether the House should act before the federal decision and whether the resolution’s text was sufficiently clear about which acreage figures it referenced; Representative King asked for textual clarification on whether percentage breakdowns referred to the larger Colorado total or the Monticello subset, and Noel clarified the 95 percent figure referred to the 45,500‑acre Monticello area.
Supporters framed the resolution as a proactive step to build a record for federal review and to emphasize economic impacts; opponents cautioned against anticipating federal action and urged restraint. The resolution passed the House 64–3 and will be transmitted to the Senate.
