The Utah lawsuit challenges federal control of a third of its land by Reuters

(Reuters) – The state of Utah filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday challenging federal control of more than a third of the land within its borders, saying U.S. government policies restrict access to those lands for recreation and energy and infrastructure development. .

The move is the latest by a Republican-led state to reject federal land management policies put in place by Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.

Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes asked the Supreme Court to address whether the federal government can hold land in a state indefinitely if it is not designated as national parks, monuments, wilderness areas, tribal lands or for military use. About 70% of Utah’s land is owned by the federal government.

The unappropriated lands the state is trying to manage are 18.5 million acres (7.5 million hectares) controlled by the US Bureau of Land Management, or 34 percent of Utah’s land, the state said in a statement .

“When the federal government controls two-thirds of Utah, we are extremely limited in what we can do to actively manage and protect our natural resources,” Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said in a statement.

A BLM spokesman said the agency would not comment on pending litigation.

Utah’s case relied on language in the U.S. Constitution that gives the Supreme Court “original jurisdiction” over disputes in which a state is a party, meaning that states can file suit in the high court instead of first litigating in lower courts.

The legal challenge comes two months after Utah joined Wyoming in suing the Biden administration over a new policy that allows the BLM to lease acreage for conservation in the same way it provides land for drilling and mining.

The policy is consistent with Biden’s pledge to conserve 30 percent of America’s land and water.

One conservation group said that under federal law, only Congress can transfer or dispose of federal lands.

“Governor Cox and the state legislature must do a U-turn before they waste millions of taxpayer dollars enriching out-of-state attorneys in this pointless lawsuit,” Center for Western Priorities Deputy Director Aaron Weiss said in a statement.