Author Ron Arnold is concerned about the influence well-funded environmental groups have over policymakers, including those making land management decisions in Utah.

In his latest book, "Undue Influence," Arnold blames wealthy foundations and grant-driven environmental groups for federal regulations that are destroying rural economies.

President Clinton's 1996 declaration of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument came about as a result of e-mails from environmental leaders who exercised "insider influence" on agencies and presidential staffers, said Arnold.

"When you have people with that kind of special access, it's undue influence," Arnold told the Deseret News Wednesday.

Arnold is the executive vice president of the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, a Bellevue, Wash., group aimed at protecting ranchers, miners and loggers from environmental regulations. He was in Utah this week, invited by members of the Utah Shared Access Alliance.

Shortly after the book's release late last year, Arnold said Clinton came out with a roadless area initiative aimed at protecting millions of acres of roadless areas in national forests across the country.

Arnold, 62, blames it on such wealthy foundations as the Pew Charitable Trust that provide funding for national environmental groups that have the "insider influence" that local grass-roots groups don't.

He said what's unfair, even illegal, is the ex-parte communications environmentalists have with agencies and presidential staffers. Environmentalists met with key presidential aides to influence the decision, something that the general public doesn't have the same opportunity to do, he added.

"It wasn't fair, and that's what's wrong with this," Arnold said.

There's been a change in environmentalism, he said. It's no longer a grass-roots cause, he added.

Arnold said he noticed that 13 years ago when he protested an environmental grant-maker's association annual meeting in the San Juan Islands.

He and others were chanting, "Ho-ho, hey-hey, how many jobs did you kill today," when someone in their group snatched audio tapes on the environmental strategy aimed at destroying jobs that rely on natural resource extraction.

"The environmental groups are funded by big corporations and are using that money to discredit grass-roots groups like wise users," Arnold said.

He said the name of his book, "Undue Influence," relates to a civil violation. "It's unfair access to the democratic process." 

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