Resources panel approves land-swap bill

WASHINGTON — The House Resources Committee approved a land-swap bill backed by the administration, Utah officials and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. But the measure must still go through some minor tweaking before hitting the House floor.

The bill would swap about 40,000 acres of federal land for 40,000 acres of land managed by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration in Grand and Uintah Counties. The trust has land with good scenic and environmental characteristics but generates little money for the state's schools, which is its main purpose, said Dave Hebertson of the trust. Through the bill, the trust will gain land that has "potential for making money," he said.

A spokesman for Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah said the state school trust lands to be conveyed include areas in the Colorado River corridor, Nine Mile Canyon, and the Dinosaur National Monument area. The trust will receive "less-sensitive BLM lands" in the Uintah Basin and Moab/Green River areas. Cannon sits on the Resources Committee and sponsored the bill, along with Rep. Rob Bishop, R-Utah and Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.

Peter Downing, legislative director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance in Washington, said the bill has improved at every stakeholders' meeting.

Still, Rep. Nick Rahall, D-West Virginia, the Resources Committee's top Democrat wanted to see some changes made to the map of the land to be exchanged. There are some concerns on language waiving environmental laws, new mineral valuation standards, and it is unclear whether land set aside for conservation or recreation will still be open for mineral leasing, according to the committee's Democratic staff.

It is not unheard of for technical and language changes to be made to a bill before it goes to the floor, said Charles Isom, a spokesman for Cannon.

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing but has yet to vote on an identical bill sponsored by Utah GOP Sens. Bob Bennett and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, in May.

Janine Blaeloch, director of the Western Lands Project, does not support the bill and said the House version is worse than the Senate version because of appraisal rules it contains. Blaeloch said the trust wants to use appraisals that conservation groups would pay for land, which are usually higher than the "typical market forces," meaning that the trust just wants to make money.

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