Opinion

It’s an honor to take over writing “Capital Highlights” from two capable predecessors, Chris Cobler and Ed Sterling. They are tough acts to follow, but I’ll do my best.

The Utes of Utah are on the warpath. The tribe produces 45,000 barrels of oil per day and around 900 million cubic feet of gas. Without even consulting with them, Joe Biden signed a moratorium on permits to extract oil and gas from “public lands”. The public lands in question in this case are tribal properties and provide the Utes with a good living. Under federal law the Ute reservation is also a separate country, and the moratorium, according to the Utes, is an attack on their sovereignty.

If you want to win, you have to pass the baton. Before the 2012 London Olympics, one of the men on the USA’s relay team said, “We’ve got the history, and we’ve got the talent right now. No one can deny that. We just need to get the stick around. That’s it. We just need to get the stick all the way around and win.”