Action Alert: Public Lands at Risk in the Utah Legislature

If you’ve been paying attention to Utah politics, you know this isn’t the first time our public lands have been in the crosshairs. For years, Utah lawmakers—both at the state and federal level—have pushed efforts aimed at shifting control of federal lands to the state.

Let’s be clear: these federal US Forest Service (USFS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands are PUBLIC LANDS and the reason many of us call Utah home.

So much of the terrain we cherish—especially some of our favorite backcountry zones in the Wasatch—exists on land managed by the USFS. Our access, our recreation, and our outdoor economies depend on these public lands remaining public.

Are federal agencies perfect? Of course not. No agency is. But keeping these lands in the hands of all Americans—not concentrated under state control influenced by shifting political agendas and private interests—matters deeply for the long-term protection of the Wasatch.

And once again, we need to speak up.

As the Utah legislative session winds down (ending at midnight on Friday, March 6, 2026), it’s been relatively quiet on major threats to the Wasatch—until now. Representative Ken Ivory (District 39, Salt Lake County) has introduced HB 546, Public Lands Duty of Care Amendments. The bill seeks to classify approximately 96% of federally managed public lands in Utah as “federal proprietary interest lands,” asserting that the state should have jurisdiction over natural resources, zoning, energy development, and access across these areas.

Supporters of the bill argue that Utah never ceded control of these lands to the federal government—a familiar refrain in Utah politics. But history tells a different story. These lands became part of the United States through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, nearly 50 years before Utah achieved statehood in 1896. Additionally, under the U.S. Constitution’s Property Clause, authority over federal lands rests with Congress—not the Utah Legislature.

In simple terms, this is yet another attempt to erode federal public land protections and shift control to the state. We can’t afford to sit this one out.

We need you to rally your community, contact your lawmakers, and urge them to oppose HB 546. Our public lands—and the future of backcountry access in the Wasatch—depend on it.

Here’s some bullet points to include in your message to your reps:

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Please oppose H.B. 546 – Public Lands Duty of Care Amendments

• I urge you to vote NO on H.B. 546.
• The vast majority of Utahns and Americans support keeping public lands in public hands.
• This bill is based on the incorrect claim that Utah never ceded control of federal public lands. These lands were acquired by the United States under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo—decades before Utah became a state—and the U.S. Constitution gives Congress authority to manage them.
• I support responsible, science-based forest management, but this bill uses wildfire concerns to justify expanding state power over federal lands.

Please vote NO on H.B. 546.

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Save Our Canyons put together a great summary and pre-generated comment form. Check it out here: