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By Myrna Trauntvein

Times-News Correspondent

Juab County is a member of the Rural Public Lands County Council (RPLCC) and the organization has gained the support of President George W. Bush.

The Bush Administration, after months of delay is now giving strong indications that it intends to move forward and address many of the long standing environmental issues, which have brought the public lands in the West to new levels of concern.

"The President is solidly behind his Forest initiative, which is now before the Congress," said Wm. Boyd Howarth, commission chair.

As proposed, the "Healthy Forest" initiative would wave the environmental impact assessments required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as well as prohibit opponents of logging from appealing decisions they oppose.

Robert Steele, commissioner, said no one could remember when another sitting President proposed legislation specifically to wave existing laws in order to promote natural resource development on public lands.

"The RPLCC leadership has been invited to meetings at the White House and the Department of the Interior where, the President's staff have laid out their agenda for environmental reforms," said Steele.

The President's top advisors have told members of the RPLCC that several initiatives beyond National Forest Health are forthcoming.

The organization's leaders have also reviewed the new RS 2477 proposals and believe counties will be pleased with them over time.

The Administration is now developing plans to address the Utah BLM Wilderness re-inventory problem and the BLM Wilderness issue itself.

The Endangered Species Act is currently being reviewed with proposed changes to be announced next year.

RPLCC member county commissioners have met with the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Budget at the Department of the Interior several times in an ongoing effort to educate and change the Administration's views of their financial obligations to public lands counties.

The organization is hopeful that there may be a crack in the Department's resistance to increased PILT payments.

"Meanwhile, RPLCC has worked in a team effort with NACO to bypass the Interior Department by taking our case directly to Congress," said Steele. "This effort has now resulted in increased PILT appropriations for eight of the past nine years."

The total payment nationally has more than doubled and now exceeds $220 million with payments to Utah counties increasing from $8 million to $16 million annually.

RPLCC has been actively engaged in a PILT formula revision effort within NACO, which, if enacted by Congress, will raise payments to Utah counties further to $34 million based on full funding.

At the direction of the leadership of RPLCC, Bob Weidner, lobbyist for the organization, continues to ably represent rural Utah before the Administration and Congress.

"He is actively promoting our rural Utah views on each of these issues," said Steele.