[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3452 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3452

 To provide for the sale of approximately 30 acres of Federal land in 
   Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Salt Lake County, Utah, to 
    permit the establishment of a minimally invasive transportation 
alternative for skiers, called ``SkiLink'', to connect two ski resorts 
           in the Wasatch Mountains, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 17, 2011

   Mr. Bishop of Utah (for himself and Mr. Chaffetz) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the sale of approximately 30 acres of Federal land in 
   Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Salt Lake County, Utah, to 
    permit the establishment of a minimally invasive transportation 
alternative for skiers, called ``SkiLink'', to connect two ski resorts 
           in the Wasatch Mountains, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Wasatch Range Recreation Access 
Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) There is interest in providing direct public access 
        between the Wasatch Range front and back in the State of Utah 
        by linking ski resorts in the area by means of a skier 
        transport, lift, or tramway.
            (2) The primary ski resorts in the Wasatch Range in Utah 
        are situated within a 5 mile radius, but currently there is no 
        convenient transportation link between the resorts.
            (3) The Canyons Ski Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort 
        have proposed a public-access transportation connection through 
        construction of a minimally invasive transportation alternative 
        for skiers, called ``SkiLink'', which would cross approximately 
        30 acres of the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest from 
        private land at The Canyons Ski Resort in Summit County, Utah, 
        to private land at Solitude Mountain Resort in Big Cottonwood 
        Canyon, Utah.
            (4) The land and resource management plan for Uinta-
        Wasatch-Cache National Forest prohibits new alpine ski lifts on 
        National Forest System land.
            (5) Despite efforts by Utah Department of Transportation, 
        the Wasatch Front Regional Council, and the Utah Transit 
        Authority to increase transit and carpool access in Big 
        Cottonwood Canyon, daily traffic on winter weekends ranges 
        between 8,000 and 9,000 vehicles per day.
            (6) Studies show that the establishment of the SkiLink 
        would reduce ski-season vehicle traffic between The Canyons Ski 
        Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort by as much as 18,000 cars 
        per year or 1 million fewer miles driven per year, and the 
        amount of the reduction is expected to increase over time.
            (7) SkiLink would produce immediate traffic benefits, 
        including a reduction in PM 2.5 and other emissions in Parley's 
        and Big Cottonwood Canyons.
            (8) A preliminary environmental review of the proposed 
        SkiLink corridor assessed the potential impact to special-
        status species, water quality and watershed resources, and 
        visual resources and found that no federally listed species or 
        critical habitat would be affected and that any water, plant, 
        and wildlife issues could be addressed through mitigation.
            (9) Minimally invasive, environmentally sound construction 
        techniques would be used to construct SkiLink, including the 
        use of helicopters for concrete placement and tower 
        installations.
            (10) The winter sport industry in Utah is a significant 
        contributor to the economy of Utah, with the ski/snowboarding 
        industry bringing $1.26 billion to Utah during the 2009/2010 
        ski season and resulting in 20,000 jobs.
            (11) Economic analysis of SkiLink shows it would infuse 
        another $50,000,000 a year into Utah's economy and create 500 
        new jobs in the tourism and hospitality industries by creating 
        the largest interconnected ski network in the United States and 
        providing access to more than 6,000 acres of existing ski 
        terrain.

SEC. 3. CONVEYANCE OF NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LAND, UINTA-WASATCH-CACHE 
              NATIONAL FOREST, SALT LAKE COUNTY, UTAH.

    (a) Conveyance Required; Purpose.--Subject to subsection (e), the 
Secretary of Agriculture shall convey, by sale, to Canyons-SkiLink, 
LLC, all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to a 
parcel of National Forest System land in the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache 
National Forest in Salt Lake County, Utah, consisting of approximately 
30 acres, as identified on the map entitled ``SkiLink Parcels, November 
2011'', for the purpose of permitting Canyons-SkiLink, LLC, to 
construct a ski-lift, gondola, or tramway to serve as a public-access 
transportation interconnection of the Wasatch Front and the Wasatch 
Back Mountains.
    (b) Consideration.--As consideration for the conveyance of the 
National Forest System land under subsection (a), Canyons-SkiLink, LLC, 
shall pay to the Secretary an amount equal to at least the fair market 
value of the land as of the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (c) Determination of Fair Market Value.--The fair market value of 
the National Forest System land to be conveyed under subsection (a) 
shall be based on an appraisal acceptable to the Secretary. The 
appraisal shall be completed no later than 6 months after the date of 
the enactment of this Act.
    (d) Reversionary Interest.--If the Secretary determines at any time 
that the National Forest System land conveyed under subsection (a) has 
not been used for a period of 10 years or longer in accordance with the 
purpose of the conveyance, all right, title, and interest in and to the 
conveyed land, including any improvements thereto, shall, at the option 
of the Secretary, revert to and become the property of the United 
States, and the United States shall have the right of immediate entry 
onto the land. A determination by the Secretary under this subsection 
shall be made on the record after an opportunity for a hearing.
    (e) Environmental Compliance.--The Secretary shall complete all 
actions that may be required under the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and all other applicable laws in making 
the conveyance under this section.
                                 <all>