Utah Sues Interior Department Over San Rafael Swell Closed Roads

Utah and other state entities are suing the US Department of the Interior and its Bureau of Land Management, challenging hundreds of miles of road closures resulting from their San Rafael Swell Travel Management Plan.

Utah’s Emery and Sevier Counties and the state’s School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration are fighting BLM’s December 2024 decision record amending its travel management plan for the San Rafael Swell. Its associated closures—including approximately 665 miles of closed roads and 141 restricted roads— will hurt the state’s revenue from outdoor recreation, tourism, and livestock grazing in the San Rafael Swell, an area known for ...