Officials from nine Western states say it's time for them to take control of federal lands within their borders.
The lawmakers and county commissioners met at Utah's Capitol on Friday to discuss their joint goal of taking oil-, timber- and mineral-rich lands away from the feds.
The summit wasn't publicized until midday, when notice went out about a late-afternoon news conference.
The meeting's result wasn't clear, but Montana state Sen. Jennifer Fielder told reporters federal land management is hamstrung by bad policies, politicized science and federal budget cuts.
Idaho, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming, Oregon and Washington also were represented.
None of the other western states has gone as far as Utah, where lawmakers recently passed a measure demanding that the federal government extinguish title to federal lands there.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune, http://www.sltrib.com
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