Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions - S. 2954

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

By Mr. BENNETT (for himself and Mr. HATCH):

S. 2954. A bill to authorize the exchange of certain land in Grand and Uintah Counties, Utah, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

Mr. BENNETT. Mr. President, I am proud to introduce the Utah Recreational Land Exchange Act of 2004, together with my colleague Senator Hatch. This legislation will ensure the protection of critical lands along the Colorado River corridor in southeastern Utah and will help provide important funding for Utah's school children. In Utah we treasure the education of our children. A key component of our education system is the 3.5 million acres of school trust lands scattered throughout the State. These lands are dedicated to the support of public education. Revenue from Utah school trust lands, whether from grazing, forestry, surface leasing or mineral development, is placed in the State School Fund. This fund is a permanent income producing endowment created by Congress upon statehood to fund public education. Unfortunately, the majority of these lands are trapped within federal ownership patterns that make it impossible for responsible development. It is critical to both the state of Utah and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that we consolidate their respective lands to ensure that both public agencies are permitted to fulfill their mandates.

The legislation we are introducing today is yet another chapter in our State's long history of consolidating these State lands for the financial well being of our education system. These efforts serve a dual purpose as they help the Federal land management agencies to consolidate federal lands in environmentally sensitive areas that can then be reasonably managed. We see this exchange as a win-win solution for the State of Utah and its school children, as well as the Department of the Interior as the caretaker of our public lands.

Beginning in 1998 Congress passed the first major Utah school trust land exchange which consolidated hundreds of thousands of acres. Again in 2000, Congress enacted an exchange consolidating another 100,000 acres. I was proud to be instrumental in those efforts, and the bill we are introducing today is yet another step in the long journey toward giving the school children the deal they were promised in 1896 when Utah was admitted to the Union.

The School Trust of Utah currently owns some of the most spectacular lands in America, located along the Colorado River in southeastern Utah. This legislation will ensure that places like Westwater Canyon of the Colorado River, the world famous Kokopelli and Slickrock biking trails, some of the largest natural rock arches in the United States, wilderness study areas, and viewsheds for Arches National Park will be traded into Federal ownership and for the benefit of future generations. At the same time, the school children of Utah will receive mineral and development lands that are not environmentally sensitive, in locations where responsible development makes sense. This will be an equal value exchange, with approximately 40,000 acres exchanged on either side, with both taxpayers and the school children of Utah receiving a fair deal. Moreover, the legislation establishes a valuation process that is transparent to the public, yet will ensure the exchange process occurs in a timely manner.

This legislation represents a truly collaborative process. We have convened all of the players to give us input into this legislation: local government, the State, the recreation community, the environmental community and other interested parties. At the same time we are working closely with the Department of Interior. We introduce this bill at this late date in this Congress to begin the legislative portion of our efforts. The state has been working with all of these groups over the past year at a grass-roots level to address concerns. As with all legislation this will be a perfecting process and introduction today marks the beginning of our efforts to work with the appropriate committees and the Department of Interior to craft a product over the next few months that will be ready to move at the beginning of the next Congress.

I urge all of my colleagues to support our efforts to fund the education of our children in Utah and to protect some of this Nation's truly great lands. I urge support of the Utah Recreational Land Exchange Act of 2004.