Proposed wilderness designations are turning into a schoolyard fight, with some bullying thrown in as well as a few “take thats” for good measure.
If an Illinois senator can say he wants 8 million more acres of wilderness in Utah, then a pair of Utah congressmen can say they want some additional wilderness in Illinois.
“It is clear the Red Rock Wilderness Act is not serious legislation, but an effort to fundraise off a liberal base that doesn’t know any better.” — Rep. John Curtis
“A senator from Illinois should not be bullying rural Utah, especially when he has land back home that needs protection,” said Rep. John Curtis, R-Utah.
Curtis, and Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, are responding to the recent resurrection of the Red Rock Wilderness Act by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
The act, which has languished in Congress for years, seeks to set aside 8 million acres in Utah as wilderness.
“Senators in the East shouldn’t be telling people in the West what to do with our land,” Romney said. “If wilderness is so important to Sen. Durbin, he doesn’t need to go all the way to Utah to designate it.”
So in reaction, both Romney and Curtis on Thursday introduced the bicameral Shawnee Wilderness Area Designation Act of 2021, legislation to take 289,000 acres of land in Illinois and make it part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
“Senators in the East shouldn’t be telling people in the West what to do with our land. If wilderness is so important to Sen. Durbin, he doesn’t need to go all the way to Utah to designate it.” — Sen. Mitt Romney
“Our bill would designate the 289,000 acres of national forest in Illinois as wilderness so he can save himself a trip across the country and enjoy the wilderness in his own backyard. So long as Sen. Durbin continues to introduce his bill, we will continue to introduce ours,” Romney said.
Curtis complained that Durbin has refused to meet with him and has now attempted to “lock up” land in Utah in two straight sessions of Congress.
“It is clear the Red Rock Wilderness Act is not serious legislation, but an effort to fundraise off a liberal base that doesn’t know any better,” Curtis said.
The two Utah congressmen say Durbin’s bill betrays an agreement to designate nearly 1 million acres in Emery County for multiple use, which was made as part of the Natural Resources Management Act, a public lands package signed into law in 2019.
The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, which has long sought the Red Rock Wilderness designation, praised Durbin’s legislation.
“America’s Red Rock Wilderness Act is more important than ever as we face the climate crisis and the nature crisis, as its passage would keep fossil fuels in the ground, preserve habitat connectivity and resiliency, and allow the desert lands to continue to sequester carbon, all while protecting the visual and cultural resources contained on the land for generations to come,” said SUWA legislative director Jen Ujifusa.
She added that the Durbin measure could play a crucial role in achieving the Biden administration’s goal of protecting 30% of America’s lands and waters by 2030.