John Hansen: “Today is a historic time for the State of Utah. In our great State out in the West, we have been told that we can put…”

“Today is a historic time for the State of Utah. In our great State out in the West, we have been told that we can put three different areas into wilderness. One is Forest Service, one is park, and one is Bureau of Land Management. In 1984 Ronald Reagan signed the wilderness bill for Forest Service, and it was a historic time. We preserved in the State of Utah some of the most beautiful, pristine areas that the people in the world have seen, and people come from all over the world to see this glorious area that will now be untrammeled by man, as if man was never there, as if you were the first person God put on Earth, and you can see it in all its majesty. Now today we are introducing one for the Bureau of Land Management. The State of Utah has 22 million acres--3.2 is considered fit and worthy of wilderness. This bill is 1.8, which is the most pristine of all this. It is the jewel of our national parks, of which we have five. This will be truly untrammeled by man. I hope the people of the United States, the people of Utah, will realize what a wonderful thing they are going to have, in my opinion, as they see this area put into a wilderness designation.”