Supporters of local management of public land and forests are supporting an effort for Utah to break free from the Roadless Rule that prohibits uses on millions of acres of National Forest System lands. A handful of other states have set a precedent on the possibility and Representative Rob Bishop agrees that Utah should pursue the same fate. “It’s an effort saying it is much wiser for local government to be able to control and manage these areas with the state coming up with the comprehensive plan to determine areas to include and exclude.” Bishop says local control is the key element and that access is important. Often it is the federal government that is the quickest to deny access but it is a far better system to provide for the needs of the people who actually live in these areas, explains Bishop. Local people deserve to have control over their own destinies. That’s the way it was supposed to be and the way it ought to be, according to Bishop. The goal now, says Bishop, is to get local governments working with the Department of Agriculture to move the effort forward.
