Editorial: Utah wilds gambit will save treasure

Thursday, Sept. 19, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.

PRESIDENT Clinton has made a pre-emptive strike against developers who would spoil a vast amount of southern Utah wilderness.

We're glad he did. It may be the only chance to save a pristine area threatened by a vast coal mining operation. Clinton invoked the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate the 1.8-million-acre Redrock Wilderness as a national monument, the largest designation ever.

Although normal wilderness legislation requires an act of Congress, Clinton independently invoked the antiquities act, which will no doubt boost his popularity among environmentalists this election year.

It also will hurt him among development interests in the West. The Utah delegation wants Andelex, a Dutch-owned mining company, to bore out a 39-square-mile underground mine, along with the necessary complex of roads and powerlines in the untouched Kaiparowits Plateau. Coal reserves totaling 5 billion to 7 billion tons would be exported to Pacific Rim countries.

The land Clinton protected is a haven for backpackers and naturalists and well known for its natural beauty. It stretches from the Escalante River across the Kaiparowits Plateau to 100 miles of cliffs known as the Grand Staircase that lie near Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks.

This area of Utah has long been a battleground between developers and preservationists. In the last two years, with a Republican majority in Congress, the fight has been tilted against further expansion of protected lands.

Clinton's gambit in southern Utah will create an uproar in the conservative camp. Nevertheless, once the land is developed, its value as a wilderness will be destroyed forever.

We also doubt that the most outspoken members of the Utah delegation speak for all residents of their state. A recent survey in Salt Lake City showed 64 percent favored additional protection for wild lands in southern Utah.

Moreover, there are no compelling reasons to mine the coal. Proponents argue the high-grade, low-polluting fuel will help reduce the nation's dependence on imported oil. If so, why export it?

The president was right to protect this area before it is too late. Future generations, including the children of developers, will be grateful.