Press Releases

The Utah Delegation opposes the final recommendation announced by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) selecting the Red Hills Parkway Expressway as the preferred alternative route for a Northern Corridor Highway in St. George City.

 

“Washington County negotiated with the federal government and all stakeholders to create land designations to protect desert tortoises, among other things, and also a route for the Northern Corridor. The designations have been in place for a couple of decades, but the agencies are not working fairly to get the Northern Corridor permitted. The county is not getting the benefits of the bargain they made in good faith. The Federal Government needs to be a better partner,” said Rep. Celeste Maloy.

 

“The 2009 OPLMA laid out a simple, fair directive: identify a Northern Corridor route to balance conservation and support growth. BLM's Red Hills Parkway route is a nonstarter. It disrupts access to key sites like Pioneer Park, adds traffic headaches, and ignores real input from local communities. Washington County deserves a Northern Corridor that respects its needs, not another one-size-fits-all federal plan. It’s time BLM listened,” said Rep. Burgess Owens.

 

"The federal government needs to honor its commitments made in good faith with the people of Washington County. Years ago, stakeholders worked tirelessly to create a balanced Northern Corridor solution. It is disappointing the Biden Administration would ignore the law which calls for a meaningful transportation solution. I look forward to working with the Department next year to resolve this misguided decision,” said Rep. John Curtis.

 

“Once again, the Biden-Harris Administration has released a Northern Corridor SEIS that does not meet the needs of Utah communities and puts us further away from a feasible final solution by not complying with the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. I urge the Administration to withdraw this SEIS, put the needs of Utahns over special interest groups, and comply with the statute Congress enacted to manage these lands,” said Rep. Blake Moore.

 

“Washington County has worked with local and federal stakeholders for many years, in good faith, to minimize the environmental impact of the Northern Corridor. This BLM decision again delays completion of this project and ignores the valuable input of the County. It also fails to relieve traffic congestion or provide protections for the desert tortoise. It is time to complete this highway,” said Senator Mitt Romney.

 

“Once again, the Biden administration has chosen to ignore Utah’s needs and the practical benefits of the northern corridor alternative, opting for an alternative that will do nothing to alleviate congestion in Washington County," said Senator Mike Lee. "This decision is a setback for our communities and regional growth and harmful to prime desert tortoise habitat in Zone 6. I am fully committed to doing whatever it takes to reverse this decision and finally complete the construction of the Northern Corridor.”

 

Background:

Washington County is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. Its rapid growth has driven the need for a right-of-way (ROW) highway that would reduce traffic between the northeast and northwest sides of St. George.

 

In 2009, Congress passed, and President Barrack Obama signed into law, the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act (the Act), which included the Washington County Lands Bill. It directed the Secretary of the Interior to identify a route for a highway through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area (NCA) in Washington County, Utah.

 

In January 2021, the Trump administration issued a record of decision permitting Washington County’s request to build a ROW highway. In exchange, Washington County would add Zone 6 – 6,813 acres within the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve – to the conservation area to offset any losses to the Mojave Desert tortoise habitat. In 2023, the Biden administration repealed that record of decision to revisit the project’s environmental impact.

 

In July, the Utah Congressional Delegation wrote in support of the proposed alternative route, UDOT ROW Alignment, and in opposition to the Red Hills Parkway Expressway alternative considered in the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. The Red Hills Parkway Expressway would keep east-west traffic north inside St. George City and would create congested public access to the historic Pioneer Park and the adjacent Red Hills Desert Garden. You can read that full letter here.