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Projects
This is a listing of selected reports, analyses, multimedia presentations, court decisions and other documents posted on this site that will be useful for multiple use supporters.
Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT)
Fully funding PILT is the top priority for the Western Counties Alliance. This law providing funding to help counties deal with the loss of tax revenue and the added costs that they must endure because of the presence of federally-owned land within their borders was passed nearly 30 years ago. With the passage of this law, the federal government acknowledges its responsibility to compensate the counties for some of these added costs.
Its performance in funding PILT has not reflected this commitment, however. PILT has never been fully funded. Last year, funding was only about two thirds of the amount authorized by Congress. This year, President Bush requested funding which was more $27 million BELOW the level of the current fiscal year.
This is an unacceptable shirking of its responsibility by the federal government. WCA is working with members of Congress, primarily the Western Caucus, to achieve full funding for PILT.
Additional information on PILT:
- Press release from a bipartisan news conference April 6th kicking off the campaign to fully fund PILT
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on PILT prepared by the Bureau of Land Management.
- Click here to go to the PILT resources page.
Wilderness Act Reform Coalition (WARC)
Wilderness designation is a recreation management scheme and the application of a recreation management tool called the Recreation Opportunity Spectrum (ROS) to proposed wilderness areas is essential. One of the guidelines in the ROS is that as a general rule wilderness recreation is only possible at least 3 miles from any road or trail where motorized vehicles are used. When applied to most proposed wilderness in the West most of these areas are disqualified.
The following documents are posted:
- Letter to House Resources Committee Chairman Richard Pombo requesting oversight hearings on the Wilderness Act.
- Summary and Recommendations for Counties and Access Activists
- Applying the ROS to the Utah Wilderness debate, with maps
- A letter from the Alliance to Interior Secretary Norton on the ROS implications
Public Lands Access Trust (PLAT)
A recent federal district court ruling in Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance v. BLM which went against three Utah counties on RS 2477 rights of way is a major setback in the effort to protect these property rights.
The following documents are posted:
- Letter to Utah BLM State Dirctor Sally Wisely asking for BLM’s position on several basic questions of law and the Constitution with regard to RS 2477.
- Response of Executive Director Mark Walsh to an editorial that appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune, May, 2005
- The district court decision
- A brief analysis of the decision by the access attorney for two of the losing counties
Ranching and Rangeland Revitalization Project
The Alliance has digitized and compressed for downloading over the Internet the classic grazing video, "The New Rangeland Compact" narrated by U.S. Senator Robert Bennett.
A smaller slide show based on the video is also available. The video is being distributed by the Alliance free (plus postage and handling) for those with slower connections or who want a higher quality version.
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