Bruce Wilson
Article Last Updated: 04/17/2008 11:34:17 PM MDT
Salt Lake Tribune
Washington County -- If you're cynical about the effectiveness of grassroots political activism, you ought
to consider what has transpired in Washington County in the past two years. It might change your mind.
In mid 2006, Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, and Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, jointly sponsored the
Washington County Growth and Conservation Act in the U.S. Congress. The substance of the legislation
was developed under the direction of the commissioners of Washington County and was primarily the
work of the commissioners and a small group of participants - an assemblage heavily tilted toward those
who benefited from and favored growth.
The resulting bill did include improved conservation of significant tracts of public land, but
counterbalancing growth aspects of the bill - in particular the forced sell-off of 25,000 acres of public land
to developers and the acquisition of utility corridors and future roadways through other currently
protected public lands - ignited a firestorm of local protest. So much so that the commissioners bowed to
public pressure and reluctantly agreed to sponsor a grassroots planning process - known as Vision Dixiethat
would involve many local citizens.
In the meantime, Bennett and Matheson tried to push the bill through Congress, ignoring pleas from
many to delay consideration of the bill until the Vision Dixie process was completed and could be
factored into the legislation. Their efforts failed and the bill died in committee, at least in part because
colleagues in the Senate and House recognized it would be wise to wait for the Vision Dixie
recommendations before considering how much public land to free up in Washington County.
When the Vision Dixie effort concluded in late 2007, it was immediately obvious that tabling the
original legislation was the right thing to do. Several thousand citizens participated in exercises that
produced a future vision of Washington County that protected scenic public lands and managed growth in
a much more restrained manner than would have been possible had the land bill passed.
Instead of auctioning off 25,000 acres of public land to developers, the vast majority of participants
favored limited disposal of public lands to less than 5,000 acres. Likewise, utility corridors and highways
through protected and scenic lands did not gain favor.
The obvious disconnect between the commissioners' land bill and the grassroots vision was stunning
even in Utah, a state that recently overwhelmingly overturned the state Legislature's school voucher bill
with a 62 percent majority. By way of comparison, a whopping 85 percent majority rejected the county
commissioners' vision. The County Commission wasn't just out of touch. It was more like they were
living on another planet.
Just last week, Bennett and Matheson introduced a revised land bill, this time reflecting the will of the
people as expressed through the Vision Dixie process. Gone are the utility corridors and highways
through protected and scenic habitats. Public land disposal has been reduced from 25,000 acres to 9,052
acres, with only 4,052 acres certain to be offered and an additional 5,000 acres contingent upon an
approval process consistent with Vision Dixie principles and BLM guidelines.
From my perspective, Bennett and Matheson deserve tremendous credit for taking a step back, listening
to the citizens of Washington County and trying their best to produce a bill that is true to the Vision Dixie
principles.
It's a great example of how representative government should work and a success story that would not
have been possible without the grassroots organizations and thousands of individual citizens of
Washington County. Their involvement created at least the opportunity for a better future for the county
and perhaps restored some faith in grassroots activism.
---
* BRUCE WILSON lives in Washington County and is the author of the book Disarming the Culture
War. E-mail: bruce.wilson@beyondbb.com
