[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 127 (Friday, October 8, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S10855]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      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.
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