Overview of County Resource Management Plans
This website contains information relevant to the development of County Resource Management Plans in Utah as described below. There are pages for each of the required resources that detail considerations, data, and references for use in plan development. In addition, each county has a page that includes goals and policies that have been extracted from plans and studies as they relate to each of the resources for use in the plan development.
What is a County Resource Management Plan (CRMP)?
A CRMP is a planning document used to define policy, goals, and objectives for managing natural resources on public lands (Utah Code 63L-6-103) within each county. Traditionally, federal agencies (Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service) are responsible for completing resource management plans for much of the public land within Utah. But Utah State Code was amended in 2015 (and again in 2016) to require every county in Utah to complete a CRMP addressing all public lands within its jurisdiction. The code further defines 28 core resources which must be considered in the CRMP.
Where does the requirement come from?
Under House Bill 323 (from 2015 session), the Utah State Legislature amended County General Plan requirements (Utah Code 17-27a-401) to include a resource management plan component “to provide for the protection, conservation, development, and managed use of resources that are critical to the health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of the county and of the state”.
What does it mean to the counties?
A CRMP serves two important purposes. First, the planning process allows counties to assess natural resources that play an important role in their local economy and set goals and objectives for the utilization of those resources. Second, the CRMP provides federal land managers local land use plans which they shall consider in their planning processes of public lands.
What is the CRMP process?
Typically CRMP’s are developed through an open dialog among diverse stakeholders who have a stake in the future conditions, utilization, and management of the resources including county government officials, resources specialists, and the public.
Where are we at in the CRMP process?
This CRMP planning process begins with each of the counties identifying resource priorities and pertinent information about resources for use in later planning stages. Some of the counties are working together through Utah’s Association of Governments to assemble this information. The Wasatch Front Regional Council has been working with Davis, Morgan, Salt Lake, Tooele, and Weber counties to complete this portion of the effort. The counties are using this information identified as they develop their plans. Each county must complete a draft resource management plan by May 1, 2017 to be followed by formal public review and 90-day comment period. The CRMP must be adopted or rejected by the county legislative body by August 1, 2017.
