Utah lawsuit seeks state control over vast areas of federal land
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Utah’s Republican leaders launched a legal challenge aimed at wresting control from the U.S. government over much of the federal lands that dominate the state. Utah’s attorney general said Tuesday he has asked to file a lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court asserting state power over federal Bureau of Land Management property. The legal challenge is considered a long shot. It marks the latest jab in a long-running feud between states and the U.S. government over who should control large swaths of the West containing vast oil and gas reserves, timber and other resources. Utah officials say they want to be able to tax and develop those lands.
