WASHINGTON — A 40,000-acre land swap approved in the House Wednesday will help students in Utah and allow the government to preserve some land at the same time, supporters said.

The House approved the Utah Recreational Land Exchange Act of 2006, which swaps 45,000 acres of land managed by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration near the Colorado River for 40,000 acres of federal land that has more economic potential for the trust.

The proposed exchange now goes to the Senate.

"Congress established Utah's school trust lands upon statehood for the specific purpose of generating income for Utah's school system," said Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, on the House floor. "Therefore, in exchange for these beautiful areas, Utah's schoolchildren will receive mineral development lands in eastern Utah to provide a much-needed revenue stream for the Utah school system."

The bill exchanges what Cannon called a "uniquely scenic area" from the trust that includes the Corona and Morning Glory arches, the Westwater wilderness study area, the Kokopelli and Slickrock trails, the watershed for Castle Valley, the Sand Wash rafting site, "and thousands of other acres of red rock beauty."

The land has scenic and environmental characteristics but does little to help generate money for the schools. Cannon said the bill will allow the trust to make money from development on the newly acquired land in eastern Utah, from leases, grazing or mineral development.

Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, called the bill's passage "substantial progress," since past proposals did not go through.

"A lot of people representing diverse interests came together and worked hard to resolve some tough issues, including how the valuation of the land should be determined," Matheson said in a statement. "The result, I believe, is a proposal that is both fair to the taxpayer, beneficial to Utah schoolchildren, and a better configuration for land managers to protect habitat, watershed and recreational values."

The lands will be conveyed on an equal value basis and SITLA will continue to share mineral lease revenue produced from federal land, according to Matheson's office. The bill also creates a special fund the Interior Department of Interior could use to purchase additional lands in the state that have high conservation values.

"This bill is a great example of what bipartisan cooperation can make possible — both protection of the environment and funding for public schools," said Kevin Carter, director of SITLA.

Peter Downing, legislative director for the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance in Washington, said he was pleased with the bill.

But Janine Blaeloch, director of the Western Lands Project, said while the bill has improved a lot since its original introduction, she would still rather see these types of land trades done through the agencies and not legislation. Putting this through the Interior Department would allow for more public involvement.

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