Representative John Curtis is leading an important cause with new legislation concerning Search and Rescue. In an interview with Evans Family Media, Curtis explained that this bill is about what is fair to those in rural areas and not just rural areas but where there are public lands. The effort is to offer adequate funding for search and rescue services provided on public lands which are owned by the federal government. “A large swath of Utah land in the 3rd District is owned by the federal government,” shared Representative Curtis, “and the government doesn’t take enough responsibility with that land and often pushes that responsibility down to the local government so you have the disadvantages of the land without any of the advantages.” He further described scenarios in which smaller towns and counties are sending search and rescue crews out to help and save people who are stranded on public lands and the cost of doing so is always disproportionate to the budget that they have. The interview exploring this topic and more will be available to listen to on BasinNow.com under the ‘Public Affairs’ tab.
