Governors coming to Utah to discuss public lands

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Updated: 4:27 pm | Published: 4:26 pm

(ABC 4 News)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah Gov. Gary Herbert says western states need unity in their stance against federal control of millions of acres of land.

Herbert says Wednesday burdensome regulations restricts energy development and limits recreational access in states where the federal government owns a majority of the land.

To address the issue, governors from Colorado, Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming are meeting with Herbert in Salt Lake City on Friday.

Herbert signed a law last month authorizing the state to seize federal lands in 2014 unless the federal government relinquishes ownership.

A similar bill has passed the Arizona Legislature. It next goes to the governor for a signature or veto.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says the Utah law is a political stunt that defies common sense.