- Montezuma County commissioners want to protect the Phil's World mountain biking area through a local ordinance.
- San Juan County Utah Commissioner Phil Lyman named Commissioner of the Year by his peers despite trespassing conviction.
In an effort to address concerns about the possibility of drilling near a popular biking area, the Montezuma County commissioners have instructed their attorney to draft an ordinance that would allow the county to have a say in any energy development near the Phil’s World trail system east of Cortez. Commissioner Larry Don Suckla explained last week that a state statute known as HB-1041 allows counties to regulate a wide range of projects that are considered “of state interest.” The need to protect Phil’s World, which is on BLM land, has been cited as a reason for the agency to develop a Master Leasing Plan regarding oil and gas drilling. However, the commission has expressed strong reservations about the need for a Master Leasing Plan and has agreed to participate in the planning process only if a long list of conditions are met. Suckla said the proposed ordinance would be a way to exert some local control over public lands.
Despite – or perhaps because – of his conviction on two federal charges related to an ATV protest ride in 2014, San Juan County, Utah’s Commissioner Phil Lyman has been chosen the state’s County Commissioner of the Year for 2015. The Utah Association of Counties voted for Lyman at its fall conference. In a statement, Weber County Commissioner Kerry Gibson said Lyman has shown that he "is committed to standing for something his colleagues across the state support and believe in." Lyman and one co-defendant were found guilty earlier this year of conspiracy and trespass for their part in a ride through Recapture Canyon near Blanding. They are currently seeking a new trial, saying a recently discovered old map shows that the trail through Recapture is in fact a highway under the federal statute known as RS 2477 and that their ride was therefore not illegal.
