December 2, 2014 Bishop Statement on Report Analyzing Transfer of Federal Lands to the State of Utah WASHINGTON—The Utah State Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office (PLPCO) officially released its report titled “An Analysis of a Transfer of Federal Lands to the State of Utah,” which examines whether or not it is feasible for the State of Utah to take control of nearly 31 million acres of federal land. The report, conducted by third party experts from the University of Utah, Utah State University, and Weber State University, determined that the State of Utah is financially capable of assuming all responsibility for the 31 million acres. In addition, the report found that transfer of management from federal to state would likely result in a net economic benefit for the State of Utah. Congressman Rob Bishop (UT-01), Chairman-elect of the House Natural Resources Committee issued the following statement in response to the report: “I want to thank the PLPCO and the team of experts who carefully and thoughtfully considered the feasibility of the transfer of federal lands to the State of Utah. The findings of this report confirm that the state is more than capable of taking on the management of these lands. This data will be a helpful resource as we continue to work toward resolving some of the biggest challenges facing public lands policy in the state,” said Bishop. In 2012, the Utah State Legislature passed the Transfer of Public Lands Act [H.B. 148], which requires the federal government to transfer approximately 31.2 million acres of federal land to the State of Utah. Following the passage of H.B. 148, the Utah State Legislature passed H.B. 142, which directed the Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office to analyze all economic factors associated with a transfer of federal land to the state. After 18 months of research, the PLPCO and the team of experts who facilitated the study produced a report found here. A summary of the report can be found here. robbishop.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397672&fb_ref=Default&fb_source=message
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 23:43:56 +0000
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