Utah lawsuit seeks state control over vast areas of federal land

Utah’s attorney general says he’s asked to file a lawsuit with the U.S. Supreme Court challenging federal control over public lands run by the Bureau of Land Management. Those lands make up about one-third of the state. The legal challenge is considered a long-shot attempt to assert state powers. It also marks the latest jab in a long-running feud between states and the U.S. government over who should control large swaths of the West containing vast oil and gas reserves, timber and other resources. Utah officials say they want to be able to tax and develop those lands. Their lawsuit would keep Utah's world-famous national parks under federal control.