Friends of Mike Lee and the Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act

The 2016 is nearing the end of an electoral cycle that could only be described as a cross between “Mad Max: Fury Road” and every film in the “Sharknado” franchise being simultaneously shown on every TV screen and computer monitor everywhere at the same time.

Added to that hell storm is another fight. While it may not have the longevity of the Mad Max series or does it even have the guilty pleaser appeal of the “Sharknado” franchise it is a sequel that can be best described as “Sagebrush Rebellion III;  Blood on the Saddle”.

Or some shit like that.

For those of you that are not familiar with the Sagebrush Rebellion it was a movement that was launched by a group of western Senators, notably Utah Senator Orrin Hatch, as a response to the Federal Policy and Management Act of 1976 and the ensuing fight between state and federal control of public lands.

The flames of the Sagebrush Rebellion are still evident as the Salt Lake Tribune so deftly pointed out in their 2012 op ed “Utah fires up new Sagebrush Rebellion”.

Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act bill sponsor Mike Lee is a cast member of the continuing Sagebrush Rebellion franchise. He’s been in favor of privatizing federal lands and hasn’t really made much of a secret about it.

Open Secrets has a list of Senator Lee’s campaign contributor but that is only part of the story.

What is more interesting is the Federal Election Commission's list of donors for Mike Lee’s Pac, Friends of Mike Lee Inc. 

Amongst Lee’s contributors are Altria Group Inc (tobacco), Association of American Railroads, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Chevron Employees Political Action Committee, and Exxon Mobil Corporation Political Action Committee.

Lee has a long history of taking campaign contributions from big oil companies so that so much can be disputed because it is a matter of public record.


What is open to speculation is what is his end game. I don't think he's had a mid-life crisis and suddenly has developed an environmental consciousness.

On a personal note, I am extremely disappointed in the lack of detail that many mountain bike and sports related publications have been willing go into Mike Lee's personal campaign finances.  I believe the questions of Lee's finances and motivations are germane to the discussions surrounding his sponsorship of the Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act.

The Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act is an important issue and an open and honest discussion of who the bill's sponsor is is part of that process.