Statements of Support for the Emery County Public Land Management Act of 2018 Emery County Commission After decades of work on this legislation by the PLC we feel that the amazing resources in our County will be available for future generations as a result of this legislation. We are grateful that Senator Hatch and Representative Curtis and their staffs have helped with the appropriate language for this legislation. - Rod Player, Chairman, Emery County Public Lands Council We are pursuing congressional action to assure regulatory certainty for the outstanding natural resources in Emery County. This bill is inclusive of all stakeholders and their interests. It makes sense. It is a better way to make natural resource management decisions. We all will benefit. - Lynn Sitterud, Chairman, Emery County Commission John Gilroy, Director of U.S. Public Lands, The Pew Charitable Trusts [LETTER] We recognize that balanced, sensible, and comprehensive legislation is the best way to honor the values of a broad cross-section of public land users, local elected officials, and other interested stakeholders. We believe that the legislation you have introduced accomplishes that goal, and we are pleased to support it. John Sterling, Executive Director, The Conservation Alliance*, on behalf of The Conservation Alliance, Outdoor Industry Association and Outdoor Alliance [LETTER] The Conservation Alliance thanks Senator Hatch and Representative Curtis for introducing legislation that would protect public lands in Emery County, Utah for their conservation and outdoor recreation values. The Emery County Public Land Management Act of 2018 takes an important first step toward legislating important protections for public lands in the county. We look forward to working with Senator Hatch and Representative Curtis to identify conservation and recreation goals that are not addressed in the current legislation, and to advocate for those goals through the legislative process. We appreciate the collaborative approach these members of Congress have implemented in developing this legislation. *The Conservation Alliance is a group of more than 215 outdoor industry companies that work together to fund and partner with organizations to protect wild lands and waters throughout North America for their recreation and habitat values. Nathan Fey, Director of Colorado River Stewardship Program, American Whitewater On behalf of American Whitewater’s members and partners, I want to thank Sen Hatch and Rep. Curtis for introducing legislation to protect public lands and rivers in Emery County, Utah. The Emery County Public Land Management Act of 2018 reflects the collaborative approach taken in its development and protects nearly 1 Million acres of public lands and 98 miles of rivers in the county for their conservation and outdoor recreation values. Adding the Green River to the National Wild & Scenic Rivers System, and creating new Wilderness Areas for the San Rafael River and Muddy Creek, protect these high-value landscapes from any water development schemes and will help ensure that these waterways can be enjoyed in the future, just as they are today. We look forward to continuing to work with Senator Hatch and Representative Curtis to identify shared conservation and recreation priorities, and toward further improvements in the bill. Governor Gary Herbert, Governor of Utah I appreciate these efforts working with Emery County Commissioners and other leaders and stakeholders to develop the Emery County Public Land Management Act of 2018. It’s an important bill and is a great example of what can happen when members of a community set aside differences and work to find solutions that will benefit the county, its residents, and the state of Utah Erik Murdock, Policy Director, The Access Fund The Access Fund appreciates the hard work and collaboration on this bill by Senator Hatch and Congressman Curtis. Over the past few months we’ve helped with several improvements to the bill related to recreation, and we look forward to working with Congress to continue to improve this proposed legislation pertaining to the management of rock climbing in Emery County. Edward Geary, Chairman, Emery County Historic Preservation Commission[LETTER] The Emery County Historic Preservation Commission strongly supports the Emery County Public Land Management Act of 2018. In addition to providing recognition and protection to large expanses of wilderness and other outstanding natural features, the proposed Act, and in particular the San Rafael Western Heritage and Historic Mining Conservation Area, will protect numerous sites of historic and cultural significance. Adam Trupp, CEO, Utah Association of Counties [LETTER] Emery County officials and stakeholders have invested many years and much effort in crafting the legislation that Representative John Curtis wills soon introduce. During the development of the proposal that led to the legislation, stakeholders are supportive of this legislation including national conservation organizations, local and state recreation advocates, livestock producers and others. Andy Rasmussen, Utah Field Coordinator, Trout Unlimited (Sportsman’s Conservation Project) The proposed Emery County Lands bill represents a step forward for solving public lands management challenges in Utah. We applaud Emery County, Representative Curtis, Senator Hatch, and the Utah Congressional delegation for their commitment to collaborative problem solving. We believe that an open and inclusive process is the best approach for resolving decades-old public lands disputes and sustaining America’s public land heritage. We hope to see this same approach applied elsewhere in Utah where there are public lands and waters important to hunters, anglers and recreationists. Emery County does not have a coldwater fishery nexus. TU supports this process, but does not have a formal position – for or against – the bill