University of Utah
Robert Keiter is director of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment and a professor of law at the University of Utah. He is the author of To Conserve Unimpaired: The Evolution of the National Park Idea.
A turf war over public lands Earlier this month, President Trump announced to a cheering crowd at the Utah state capitol that he would be removing hundreds of thousands of acres from two national monuments designated by previous Democratic presidents. The move was a triumph for many residents who live around the monuments and the federally controlled public lands. Many Utahans are still angry about the creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, created by President Bill Clinton in 1996. Trump’s action drastically reduces Clinton’s monument from nearly 1.9 million acres to just under a million. The Bears Ears Monument, designated by President Obama, will be chopped by as much as 85 percent, going from 1.3 million acres to just over 200 thousand acres. Trump’s executive orders have generated lots of controversy, and, already, several lawsuits.
And now, tax issues Adding a new area of law to the list of President Trump’s legal issues...
Voter Suppression, Climate Change and the President As America prepares to vote again, a question remains from 2016: are the Russians still “meddling” with US elections? Meantime, are Republican election officials in Georgia and Kansas suppressing the vote to serve their own interests? Those updates and the latest on climate change: President Trump says, maybe it’s not a hoax after all.
Keeping it fresh The intersection of Salinas, California and Yuma, Arizona is in your salad bowl.
As sidewalk gardens grow on Skid Row, homeless residents lose a sidewalk In a city with tens of thousands of people living on its streets, sidewalk space can be a hot commodity. Businesses want to keep the sidewalk clear for customers, but the city’s housing crisis means that for some people, the sidewalk is home. Some property owners have reportedly used sprinklers or private security guards to make sure no one sets up camp outside their doors. And in recent months, people living on the streets have noticed a new tactic – business owners effectively occupying a portion of the sidewalk themselves.