[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1883 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1883

 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 called ``SkiLink'' to connect 2 ski resorts in the Wasatch 
                   Mountains, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 17, 2011

  Mr. Hatch (for himself and Mr. Lee) introduced the following bill; 
   which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           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 called ``SkiLink'' to connect 2 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 that--
            (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, 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 the Uinta-
        Wasatch-Cache National Forest prohibits new alpine ski lifts on 
        National Forest System land;
            (5) despite efforts by the 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 
        Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort by as many as 18,000 cars 
        per year or 1,000,000 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 
        Canyon and Big Cottonwood Canyons;
            (8) a preliminary environmental review of the proposed 
        SkiLink corridor assessed the potential impact of SkiLink on 
        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 $1,260,000,000 to Utah during the 2009/2010 
        ski season and resulting in 20,000 jobs; and
            (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 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 of Agriculture an amount equal to at least 
the fair market value of the Federal land as of the date of enactment 
of this Act.
    (c) Determination of Fair Market Value.--
            (1) In general.--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 of 
        Agriculture.
            (2) Deadline.--The appraisal shall be completed not later 
        than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
    (d) Reversionary Interest.--
            (1) In general.--If the Secretary of Agriculture 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 of Agriculture, revert to and become the property of 
        the United States, the United States shall have the right of 
        immediate entry onto the land.
            (2) Determination.--A determination by the Secretary of 
        Agriculture under this subsection shall be made on the record 
        after an opportunity for a hearing.
    (e) Environmental Compliance.--In making the conveyance under this 
section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall complete all actions that 
may be required under--
            (1) the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 
        U.S.C. 4321 et seq.);
            (2) the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
        seq.); and
            (3) any other applicable laws.
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