Utah governor demands feds relinquish lands in Utah

Gov. Gary Herbert signed legislation Friday demanding that Congress turn over roughly 30 million acres of federal land within Utah’s borders — a move that proponents acknowledge could lead to a court battle.

Supporters of the effort contend the federal government made a promise to Utah and Western states to dispose of hundreds of millions of acres of federal land, just as it had done in states east of the Rockies.

But it never happened and now Herbert and others say the inability to control federal lands has hampered the state’s economy. Herbert said that the director of the Bureau of Land Management has more control over the state than the governor.