Documents & other info on Utah's federal lands transfer efforts

The following is from the website of Utah's Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office.



During the 2012 General Session, the Utah Legislature passed H.B. 148, “Transfer of Public Lands Act and Related Study,” in an effort to develop a new model for public land management and use. Governor Herbert signed the bill into law on March 23, 2012. H.B. 148 provides a framework for transferring public lands into State ownership. Public lands contemplated by the bill exclude national parks, all national monuments (except the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument), specific congressionally-designated wilderness areas, Department of Defense areas, and tribal lands.

H.B. 148 involves many practical and some legal considerations regarding the actual transfer of public lands into State ownership. To address these issues, the legislature directed the Constitutional Defense Council (CDC), to conduct studies on potential land transfer and to prepare a report and recommendations to legislative interim committees.
PLPCO’s staff and attorneys assigned to the Public Lands Section of the Attorney General’s Office created two reports presented to the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Interim Committee and the Education Interim Committee on November 2, 2012.

1. “Report on Utah’s Transfer of Public Lands Act: H.B.148″ describes the historical context of H.B. 148 and contains information regarding the ownership and economics of the public lands. It also makes recommendations regarding future steps in the land transfer initiative. Download Report
2. “Toward a Balanced Public Lands Policy: A Case Statement for the H.B. 148: Utah’s Transfer of Public Lands Act” explains the necessity of change in public lands policy and rationalizes the suggested mechanism for transferring public lands into State ownership. Download Report

H.B. 142 and the Economic Feasibility of Transferring Public Lands

In 2013, Utah Legislature passed H.B. 142, giving PLPCO the responsibility of directing and overseeing a study and economic analysis of the transfer of public lands contemplated by H.B. 148. PLPCO put together a team of economists from the University of Utah, Utah State University, and Weber State University to conduct the analysis. The team worked on the study for over 18 months preparing a final report “An Analysis of a Transfer of Federal Lands to the State of Utah”. Download Report
The 700+ page study examines economic feasibility of the proposed lands transfer. The study provides information about the current uses of land, the economic effects and non-economic benefits of those uses, and the ramifications of any transfer. Additionally, the study estimates the costs of managing the transferred lands and identifies the state agencies that could manage those lands. The study will guide the Utah Legislatures when the 2015 legislative session convenes in January.

PLPCO also prepared its own report to the Natural Resources, Agriculture, and Environment Interim Committee — “Pathway to a Balanced Public Lands Policy.” This report reviews and summarizes the economic study, finding it to be a cautionary, yet optimistic analysis of the opportunities and challenges facing a public lands transfer. The main challenge is finding the proper balance between preserving and protecting Utah’s many scenic areas and dispersing the lands economic value and net benefit over the entire state. Such balance can be achieved. “ Download Report

The best place for all kinds of info (including videos and webinars) on the transfer of federal lands issue is the website for the American Lands Council.  They are also on Facebook here and Twitter here.