"We believe strongly that our federal public lands are the property of all taxpayers and are a birthright that ensures the preservation and conservation of our most special places for generations to come," Meadows said. "When disposal of those lands are appropriate, the resulting funds should remain the property of all Americans."

He also characterized the bill as a "breakthrough" in the "long-polarized" land protection battles.

"While not perfect as currently drafted, it presents a real opportunity to afford real and lasting protection for an important part of southwestern Utah's public land legacy," he said.

Jim Eardley, Washington County Commission chairman said "there are elements of this legislation that gives us discomfort," but that the bigger picture of the bill overrides "those personally important items" and the commission would like to see it pass.

The bill is a nice change, because it involved people on both sides of the debate.

"For the first time in Utah, we have managed to get the right people at the table who possess a sufficient amount of courage and a grasp of the bigger picture to finally be successful," he said.

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E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com