In 2024, Utah filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s control over 18.5 million acres of “unappropriated” land—areas without specific congressional designations like national parks or forests. The state contends that the indefinite federal retention of these lands is unconstitutional, arguing that the Property Clause of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to “dispose of” federal lands, not to hold them without designated use.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes emphasizes that federal control over nearly 70% of Utah’s land limits the state’s sovereignty and self-governance. The lawsuit also challenges the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) recent Public Lands Rule, which elevates conservation to a status equal with grazing and mineral development. Utah argues this shift contradicts the BLM’s legal obligation to promote multiple-use and sustained yield under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA).

The case has garnered support from various states, counties, and organizations, all urging the Supreme Court to hear it. Critics of federal land retention assert that it infringes on state sovereignty and hampers economic activities such as grazing, energy production, and recreation. They also claim that policies mandating indefinite federal land retention treat states like Utah unequally compared to those with greater control over their lands.

This legal challenge underscores ongoing tensions between state and federal authorities over land management in the Western United States, with significant implications for public land policy and state sovereignty.

Full Article here: https://americanstewards.us/utah-fights-for-control-of-federal-lands/

The State of Utah has a website called Stand for our Land at https://standforourland.utah.gov/