U.S. Bureau of Land Management

Utah believes it should have ownership over some federally managed land, but environmentalists argue the move backpedals on the agreement that made Utah a state.

The Northern Corridor Highway alternative route chosen by the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would avoid building a new road through prime Mojave Desert tortoise habitat.

A 3-2 vote on Thursday by Wyoming's top five elected officials ends decades of threats to sell the square-mile parcel to the highest-bidding private developer. The land has been a bone of contention between the state and federal officials for decades.

Bears Ears National Monument in southeast Utah has been at the center of political fights over public land in recent years. The upcoming presidential election threatens to continue escalating that tug-of-war.

Zone 6 is a popular recreation spot and desert tortoise habitat that was protected as part of the deal to build a highway near St. George. Local leaders and the state now say if the highway doesn’t happen, the land is open for business.

The push to build homes on federal land is gaining momentum. But just because Utah has plenty of public land, that doesn’t mean it’s ripe for development.

Utahns in Congress and the Biden administration both have proposals that could open up acres of public land to housing development.

A federal judge in North Dakota has temporarily blocked a new Biden administration rule aimed at reducing the venting and flaring of natural gas at oil wells. The judge ruled Friday Utah and four other western states challenging the rule have shown they are likely to succeed on the merits of their claim that the regulation is arbitrary and capricious.

Fights over public lands aren’t unusual in the West. But Utah is now going straight to the U.S. Supreme Court to wrest control of 18.5 million acres of federal land.

The herbicides target invasive plants, which can fuel wildfires and harm native habitats. But conservationists say mixing chemicals and wildlife comes with risks.

Wild horse advocates are frustrated they can’t bring dehydrated horses water, but the BLM says that would do more harm than good.

The board of the nonprofit Civilian Marksmanship Program voted to withdraw their plans after community pushback.