Utah in line for $20 million in Interior funds

WASHINGTON — There's money for Utah museums and campgrounds, land purchases and rare fish — even trails and historic areas.

By the time the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior and Environment finished its work Tuesday, it added up to almost $20 million in Utah projects.

"This year's spending bill reflects the diversity of Utah's Interior needs," said U.S. Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, the member of the subcommittee who requested the funding. "From Ogden to St. George, funds for these projects will help address our energy needs, protect our public lands, and enhance and provide access to popular recreation areas."

Because of an increased focus on oil and gas development in Utah, Bennett requested an increase of $3 million over the president's budget for oil and gas management. Within that increase, $250,000 will be used for a Utah Oil and Gas Leasing Internet Pilot Program to allow for online participation in lease auctions, and the rest will go toward planning an oil shale leasing program and decreasing the backlog for oil and gas permits.

The Department of Interior is specifically directed to begin a new oil shale leasing program and expedite research and development activities on BLM land. Utah and Colorado have vast supplies of untapped oil shale and tar sands.

The Utah Museum of Natural History, the state's flagship museum that houses many of the artifacts found on public lands, will get a $5 million boost that adds to the $8 million already received in federal funding for the design and construction of a new museum in Research Park. The 2002 legislation authorizing the new museum directs the secretary of interior to make $15 million available in grants.

Bennett also secured $2.5 million to acquire lands in the Bear Canyon area near the edge of Draper as part of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and in the High Uintas of the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Bennett is a longtime champion of the shoreline trail and has secured $13 million for the trail in the past.

Among the other Utah projects making their way into the 2006 budget:

• $1.2 million to purchase lands within the Colorado River Special Recreation Management Area in Grand County, including the popular Westwater Canyon area that attracts about 10,000 whitewater rafters a year. Bennett said the acquisition would protect the riverfront from development and would resolve major access issues, preserve scenic values and protect critical habitat for endangered fish along the Colorado River.