LAS VEGAS ( KLAS ) — Utah filed a complaint on Tuesday asking the U.S. Supreme Court to weigh in on who really owns public lands, challenging federal ownership of 18.5 million acres of “unappropriated” land in the state.
It’s a big question for Utah, where the federal government owns about 69% of the land. But it’s an even bigger question for Nevada, where just over 80% of the land is federally owned.
Most federal control of land is through the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Forest Service and the National Parks Service. Utah is challenging the BLM’s claim to millions of acres under the Federal Land Policy Management Act (FLPMA).
Utah argues there’s nothing in the U.S. Constitution that gives the government the right to reserve that land.
But the Denver-based Center for Western Priorities (CWP) quickly labeled Utah’s argument as a waste of time and money.
“Governor (Spencer) Cox and the state legislature need to make a U-turn before they waste millions of taxpayer dollars enriching out-of-state lawyers on this pointless lawsuit,” Aaron Weiss, CWP deputy director, said in a news release.