[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 62 (Tuesday, May 7, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4770-S4773]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           OMNIBUS PARKS BILL

  Mr. HATCH. Mr. President, last Wednesday, the Senate passed H.R. 
1296, the omnibus parks bill, by unanimous consent. I recognize that 
this legislation had indeed gone through the mill. However, I am 
pleased that we reached this agreement and passed this important bill 
with strong bipartisan support.
  In particular, I want to express my strong support for one title of 
this bill, the Snowbasin Land Exchange Act, which was included within 
the bill.
  This measure contains provisions that will enable the U.S. Forest 
Service and the Sun Valley Co. to prepare the Snowbasin Ski Resort, 
which is located 40 miles north of Salt Lake City, for the major alpine 
skiing events of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games to be held in Utah. It 
also concludes a land exchange process that began more than 11 years 
ago.
  I want to acknowledge the efforts of Senators Dole and Murkowski, who 
have worked diligently to forge this package so that this particular 
measure could pass the Senate and move forward in the legislative 
process.
  As my colleagues know, the International Olympic Committee selected 
Salt Lake City to host the 2002 Winter

[[Page S4771]]

Olympic Games last June. I was honored to be present in Budapest when 
this announcement was made.
  Snowbasin, which is owned by the Sun Valley Co., was identified as 
the site of six major Olympic downhill and slalom ski events. It was 
selected due to its magnificent mountain with ideal terrain, elevation, 
and techincal difficulty for Olympic competition.
  It is estimated that Olympic racers will reach speeds exceeding 80 
miles per hour in the first 5 seconds of competition on the Snowbasin 
downhill course, a course that has been designed by Bernard Russi of 
Switzerland, an Olympic medalist and internationally recognized Alpine 
course designer.
  In order to accommodate the planned events at Snowbasin, which are 
estimated to have a television audience of nearly 3 billion people 
worldwide, major new skiing, visitor, and support facilities will have 
to be constructed at Snowbasin. Some of these facilities will be 
constructed on the ski mountain, while other facilities are needed at 
the base of the mountain.
  Failure to pass the provisions that are included in this bill for 
Snowbasin would have greatly jeopardized the success of the 2002 
Olympic Games and, in general, sullied the reputation of U.S. Olympic 
hosts before an international audience. So I appreciate the support of 
my colleagues for these provisions.
  My colleagues should understand that this legislation is a land 
exchange--not a giveaway. The legislation exchanges 1,320 acres of 
national forest land at the base of Snowbasin to the Sun Valley Co. 
This transfer will allow development of base facilities that are needed 
for the Olympics.
  These facilities include a new access road, the Olympic stadium and 
gateway, parking, day lodges, restaurants, and other support buildings. 
These facilities will greatly increase services and amenities to the 
public during the Olympics. They will also become the nucleus of a 
world-class competitive venue at Snowbasin in future years.
  It is altogether consistent with Forest Service policy that base 
lands at ski areas be privatized for development. As my colleagues are 
well aware, land exchanges have been routinely utilizied for this 
purpose.
  In return for the 1,320 acres, the Forest Service will receive more 
than 4,100 acres of private lands with outstanding environmental, 
recreational, and other values. Each of these lands has been identified 
by Forest Service officials as highly desirable for acquisition to 
benefit the public and the long-term management purposes of the Forest 
Service in northern Utah.
  Some of this acreage is immediately adjacent to Snowbasin; another 
parcel is on the outskirts of the city of Ogden. In fact, one of the 
parcels--Lightning Ridge--will open access to thousands of acres of 
Forest Service land that is currently inaccessible to the public.

  These are precisely the types of public benefits that should be 
realized in land exchanges. The new Olympic quality recreational 
opportunities added at Snowbasin, coupled with major additions to the 
national forest, clearly make the exchange a win-win for the public.
  When completed, the land exchange will add over 4 square miles of 
land to the National Forest System in Utah.
  Mr. President, there has been considerable discussion on this bill 
regarding the so-called sufficiency language in the bill that exempts 
the initial portions of development at Snowbasin from certain Federal 
environmental laws. Let me discuss this for my colleagues.
  Once the land exchange is completed, the ski mountain will remain as 
National Forest System land. In order to prepare the ski mountain for 
the Olympic events, numerous modifications are needed. These 
modifications are referred to in the overall development plan for 
Snowbasin as phase I and relate to the race courses for the competitors 
as well as needed amenities for the public.
  These items include new chair lifts, new and expanded courses, 
helicopter pads for medivac purposes, snowmaking, safety netting, and a 
mountain restaurant for food and warming purposes. It is estimated that 
at least three summer construction seasons will be needed to construct 
these facilities.
  Moreover, to enable ski competitors to race the mountain prior to the 
Olympics, and to test the new facilities for safety and other purposes, 
international skiing events have been scheduled at Snowbasin beginning 
in 1999.
  I hope my colleagues can see that we must immediately begin the 
process of preparing Snowbasin for important Olympic and pre-Olympic 
events.
  To accomplish this goal, Congress needs to provide general approval 
to facilities that need to be constructed on national forest lands at 
Snowbasin for the Olympics, to put the construction of these facilities 
on a timetable, and to protect the decisions of the Forest Service 
during this process from appeals and lawsuits. Without such action, 
construction of these facilities could be delayed for years. 
Regrettably, this type of delay is precisely what is currently being 
experienced at Snowbasin.
  A 1994 Forest Service decision to allow construction of a small chair 
lift and new ski run on the mountain has been appealed and litigated 
and is now before a Federal district court in Salt Lake City. 
Construction of the lift has already been delayed for 2 years and the 
matter could remain in the courts well into the future. Therefore, this 
legislation allows the construction of traditional mountain facilities 
at Snowbasin that are needed for important Olympic and pre-Olympic 
events.
  However, my colleagues should realize that over the years, Snowbasin 
has been subject to numerous environmental studies and reviews. In 
fact, in testimony before the Senate Subcommittee on Forests and Public 
Land Management, I displayed a huge stack of these studies.
  Since 1990, the Forest Service has prepared, among many items, an 
environmental impact statement and an environmental analysis on base 
mountain lands at Snowbasin. The public was fully involved in the 
development of these documents.
  The Snowbasin master plan, referenced in the legislation, has been 
developed taking into full account the environmental considerations 
noted in these studies. Also, the Sun Valley Company has frequently 
consulted with the Forest Service to ensure that environmental aspects 
of the land exchange are properly considered.
  Our legislation directs the Secretary of Agriculture to impose 
construction and operation conditions on the Sun Valley Co. that are 
consistent with Forest Service policies to protect forest resources. 
Further, the Forest Service is empowered to make any changes to the 
facilities to protect public health and safety, including water 
quality.
  I think it is also safe to say that no one would want to visit this 
area if it were an environmental wreck. There is clearly an economic 
incentive to doing this the right way. Responsible development of this 
land is necessary any way you look at it.

  Also, we learned from testimony provided by the members of the Salt 
Lake organizing committee that one of the reasons Snowbasin was 
selected as the site for the Olympic downhill races was to keep Olympic 
downhill events from being conducted in the environmentally sensitive 
canyon areas immediately adjacent to Salt Lake City.
  I am pleased to note that the significant addition of land to the 
National Forest System resulting from this legislation will be 
accomplished without having to spend scarce land and water conservation 
fund dollars.
  Moreover, our legislation ensures that an equal value exchange in 
every respect will be conducted, and there will not be a giveaway of 
any kind to the Sun Valley Company. Instead, the Sun Valley Company 
will assume the economic risks and costs of preparing Snowbasin to the 
highest of Olympic standards for the 2002 Winter Games.
  Mr. President, I again want to extend my sincere thanks to each 
member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee--all of 
whom endorsed this legislation. The efforts of Senators Murkowski, 
Craig, and Bumpers, and my Utah colleague, Senator Bennett, have helped 
to perfect this bill and move it forward.
  Again, I want to thank the majority leader for his leadership in 
solving the impasse that had developed over the earlier version of the 
omnibus parks bill.
  Having said that, I must admit my disappointment that one title of 
the original package, the Utah wilderness

[[Page S4772]]

bill, has been deleted from the bill. I would have preferred that the 
Senate adopt this measure as well, but I know a roadblock when I see 
one. I will continue to work on those provisions that could not be 
included in this package.
  However, everyone in this chamber should know that this is a 
temporary setback for our Utah wilderness bill. Our bill is not dead, 
as many have said or wished. I am just as committed today as I was 
during the recent filibuster to see this body pass legislation that 
resolves this 17-year-old problem that has plagued our State.
  As I mentioned, Senator Dole has demonstrated tremendous leadership 
to forge the compromise that allowed the omnibus bill to pass, and his 
suggestion for a temporary detour around the matter of Utah Wilderness 
and Sterling Forest enables the other important provisions of the 
omnibus parks bill to move forward, including the Snowbasin exchange. I 
commend him for that.
  Mr. President, Snowbasin will be an electrifying site for the 
prestigious skiing events of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The huge 
challenge that Snowbasin will present to the international competitors 
will be a true test of their Olympic ability. America is fortunate to 
be selected as the host nation for these games, and Salt Lake City is 
honored to be the host city. I thank my colleagues for supporting this 
urgently needed legislation to make these games a reality at Snowbasin.
  I ask unanimous consent that a letter from Utah Governor Mike 
Leavitt, a resolution from the Ogden City Council, an editorial from 
the Salt Lake Tribune, and a resolution from the Utah State 
Legislature--all expressing support for this legislation--be inserted 
in the Record at this point.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                                                    State of Utah,


                                       Office of the Governor,

                                Salt Lake City, December 12, 1995.
     Representative James V. Hansen,
     Chairman, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Lands, 
         Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Jim: I am writing in strong support of H.R. 2402, the 
     Snowbasin Land Exchange legislation, and its companion bill 
     in the Senate, S. 1371. I applaud your efforts, as Chairman 
     of the subcommittee of jurisdiction, in holding hearings and 
     gaining co-sponsors.
       Utah has been given an extraordinary opportunity in hosting 
     the 2002 Winter Olympics. Snowbasin is the venue for some of 
     the most visible and popular downhill events. Over 3 billion 
     people around the world will have their eyes set on Snowbasin 
     during the Olympics. We must be ready for them.
       In order to successfully host this venue, certain 
     facilities must be built and improvements added to 
     accommodate all of the activities which are demanded of an 
     Olympic site. For over seven years, those plans have been 
     under review and scrutiny by the public and the Forest 
     Service. Environmental impacts have been carefully reviewed. 
     The required land exchange between Snowbasin and the Forest 
     Service has now bogged down in the administrative appeals 
     process. Further delays would seriously threaten the 
     timetable needed to be met for the 2002 games. That is why 
     your legislation is so vital.
       I am also supportive of the land exchange authorized by the 
     legislation because it will enhance economic development for 
     Northern Utah by making Snowbasin a true world-class tourist 
     destination. Further, the public stands to benefit greatly by 
     receiving access to large tracts of pristine recreational 
     lands, such as Taylor Canyon, Lighting Ridge Wheeler Creek, 
     and the North Fork Ogden River-Devil's Gate Valley, which are 
     now in private ownership.
       This legislation represents a win-win for the state of Utah 
     and the people of Weber County. I urge you to continue to 
     work for passage of this legislation and stand ready to 
     assist you in any way possible.
           Sincerely,
                                               Michael O. Leavitt,
     Governor.
                                                                    ____


             Resolution of the Ogden City Council No. 96-6

       Whereas the property development of a year-round ski and 
     recreational destination resort in the Snowbasin area would 
     be beneficial to the people of the City of Ogden; and
       Whereas the recent awarding of the 2002 Winter Olympic 
     Games to Salt Lake City increases ski and recreational 
     opportunities of the Snowbasin area; and
       Whereas Snowbasin has been designated as the site of 
     several 2002 Winter Olympic events, with pre-Olympic events 
     scheduled in 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001; and
       Whereas these Olympic and pre-Olympic events add to the 
     urgency to develop the Snowbasin area; and
       Whereas Snowbasin Resort and its owner Sun Valley Company 
     have requested 1,320 acres of public land be transferred to 
     Snowbasin Resort for the purpose of developing a year-round 
     recreational destination resort; and
       Whereas Snowbasin Resort has agreed to transfer into the 
     public domain at least 4,100 acres of land which possesses 
     outstanding recreational, environmental and other values, and 
     which opens access to other Forest Service lands for public 
     enjoyment; and
       Whereas much of the land presently under Forest Service 
     supervision in the Snow Basin area was originally transferred 
     without monetary consideration into the public domain by 
     Ogden City for the purpose of promoting and fostering the 
     future development thereof, and where previous Ogden City 
     Councils have adopted resolutions supporting this land 
     transfer of 1,320 acres of property to Snowbasin in order to 
     effectuate such desired development; and
       Whereas the proper development of the Snowbasin area would 
     increase tourism in the State of Utah and would be beneficial 
     to the residents of northern Utah; and
       Whereas a delay in facilitating the desired exchange could 
     hamper the State's hosting of several Olympic and 
     international alpine skiing events; and
       Whereas the United States Congress is currently considering 
     legislation which would complete the Snowbasin land exchange 
     and enable the timely construction of facilities at Snowbasin 
     needed for Olympic and pre-Olympic events. Now, Therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, That the Ogden City Council urges the United 
     States Forest Service, the United States Congress and 
     President William Clinton to enact Snowbasin Land Exchange 
     legislation for the purpose of preparing Snowbasin for 
     Olympic and pre-Olympic events, and for developing Snowbasin 
     as a multi-use, four season recreational resort area.
       Passed and adopted this 9th day of April 1996.
                                                                    ____

                                                Ralph W. Mitchell,
                                                            Chair.

               [From the Salt Lake Tribune, Apr. 1, 1996]

                         Approve Snowbasin Swap

       When the Utah wilderness legislation submerged an omnibus 
     parks bill in the U.S. Senate last week, one of the dozens of 
     items that sank with it was another proposal of keen interest 
     to Utah--the Snowbasin/Forest Service land exchange. The 
     Snowbasin proposal deserves resuscitation and passage, either 
     as part of a revived omnibus bill sans Utah wilderness or as 
     stand-alone legislation.
       This plan would provide long-term benefits to Utah, the 
     most conspicuous being the development of a four-season 
     resort at Snowbasin by an operator, the Sun Valley Company, 
     that has a proven record of good stewardship. And, as part of 
     that development, the site of the downhill and Super-G ski 
     races for the 2002 Winter Olympics would be completed on a 
     faster track.
       Under the legislation, Snowbasin would acquire 1,320 acres 
     from the U.S. Forest Service in exchange for some 4,100 
     acres, spread across four different parcels in the same 
     general area, that are currently owned by Sun Valley. 
     Assuming a fair appraisal process--and the legislation calls 
     for an exchange of equal value--this proposal amounts to an 
     even land swap, not the land grab that opponents claim it is.
       Granted, this legislation does carry some baggage. For 
     instance, its supporters have couched this bill as a 
     necessity in order for the Olympic ski races to be held at 
     Snowbasin, but that's not quite right. Sun Valley may need 
     the 1,320 acres for condos and residential units, but it 
     doesn't need nearly that many for an Olympic ski venue.
       In addition, granting an exemption from environmental 
     laws--as this bill does for Phase I, or the mountain 
     development aspect, of the plan--is not a step that should be 
     taken cavalierly, particularly in the name of an Olympic 
     movement that holds the environment as a top priority. 
     Adherence to local and state laws will mitigate this concern, 
     but it won't completely erase it.
       And it hasn't helped the bill's cause that its chief 
     proponent, Utah Rep. Jim Hansen, has made some ill-chosen 
     comments recently, to the effect that the downhill could be 
     run at Snowbird if the Snowbasin bill fails. This needlessly 
     resurrected a dead-and-buried concern that the Cottonwood 
     canyons might be used for the Olympics; it only aroused the 
     opposition to his own bill.
       Still, Rep. Hansen's rhetoric aside, the voice that counts 
     most on this proposal should be that of the U.S. Forest 
     Service, the current steward of the 1,320 acres in question. 
     And the Forest Service, which had already approved an 
     exchange of 695 of those acres in 1990, has signed off on 
     this one after finding boundary problems with the parcel it 
     had earmarked five years ago.
       While legitimate complaints can be raised over the manner 
     in which the Snowbasin proposal has been maneuvered around 
     normal USFS channels and over the use of the Olympics as a 
     wedge to gain congressional support, there still is nothing 
     fundamentally objectionable about the land exchange itself. 
     As long as the USFS can be assured that it will obtain equal 
     value for those 1,320 acres, this is a development plan that 
     Utahns--and Congress--can and should support.
                                                                    ____


               State of Utah Concurrent Resolution No. 4

 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor 
                           concurring therein

       Whereas the proper development of a year-round ski and 
     recreational resort in the

[[Page S4773]]

     Snowbasin area would be beneficial to the people of the state 
     of Utah;
       Whereas the recent awarding of the 2002 Olympics to Salt 
     Lake City increases the ski and recreational opportunities of 
     the Snowbasin area;
       Whereas Snowbasin has been designated as the site of 
     several 2002 Winter Olympic event, with pre-olympic events 
     scheduled for 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001;
       Whereas these olympic and pre-olympic events add to the 
     urgency to develop the Snowbasin area;
       Whereas approximately 55 years ago, 4,300 acres of land in 
     the Snowbasin area was transferred with little monetary 
     consideration from private ownership to the United States 
     Forest Service under the leadership of the Ogden Chamber of 
     Commerce to stop overgrazing and to develop a year-round 
     recreation area;
       Whereas the Ogden-Weber Chamber of Commerce and many civic 
     leaders now favor the transfer of 1,320 acres of this same 
     land at Snowbasin to the Sun Valley Company for the purpose 
     of developing a year-round recreational resort;
       Whereas the Sun Valley Company has agreed to acquire and 
     transfer into the public domain property of comparable value 
     as selected by the United States Forest Service in exchange 
     for the 1,320 acres received in the Snowbasin area;
       Whereas Earl Holding, developer of world famous Sun Valley 
     Resort, has established a proven track record as a developer 
     of high-quality recreational resort facilities;
       Whereas the proper development of the Snowbasin area would 
     increase tourism in the state of Utah and would be extremely 
     beneficial to the residents of northern Utah by creating 
     numerous jobs and business opportunities;
       Whereas the state of Utah has expended an excess of 
     $14,000,000 to construct the Trappers Loop Highway for the 
     purpose of servicing the Snowbasin/Upper Ogden Valley area;
       Whereas the delay in facilitating the exchange of the 
     number of areas requested by the Sun Valley Company could 
     hamper the state's hosting of several olympic and 
     international alpine skiing events and may make the 
     development of a year-round resort economically infeasible;
       Whereas the exchange of property to the Sun Valley Company 
     would allow the United States Forest Service to acquire 
     additional property as an exchange that, if property 
     selected, would open up large areas of the public domain and 
     better suit the Forest Service's objective of preserving the 
     public land for public use than the retention of the proposed 
     transfer property;
       Whereas the intended use of the property in question when 
     it was transferred into Forest Service supervision was to 
     develop a ski and recreational area; and
       Whereas The United States Congress is currently considering 
     legislation that would complete the Snowbasin land exchange 
     and enable the timely construction of facilities at Snowbasin 
     needed for olympic and pre-olympic events: Now, therefore, be 
     it
       Resolved, that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the 
     Governor concurring therein, the United States Forest 
     Service, the United States Congress and President William J. 
     Clinton to enact Snowbasin Land Exchange legislation for the 
     purpose of preparing Snowbasin for olympic and pre-olympic 
     events, and for developing Snowbasin as a multi-use, four 
     season recreational resort area. Be it further
       Resolved, that copies of this resolution be sent to the Sun 
     Valley Company, the United States Forest Service, the 
     President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the 
     United States House of Representatives, the members of Utah's 
     congressional delegation, and President Clinton.

                          ____________________