U.S. Rep. John Curtis (R-UT) applauded a massive land deal reached between Utah and the Federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM), hailing it as the final product of the Emery County Land Bill he proposed in 2018.
“This bipartisan legislation embodies the principle that local communities know best how to manage their own lands,” Rep. Curtis said in a Nov. 14 statement. “Working across the aisle and in concert with local leaders and federal agencies we can achieve results that solve real problems.”
The congressman introduced the Emery County Public Land Management Act in May 2018 to designate roughly one million acres in Utah’s Emery County for diverse uses, including recreation, conservation, development, and grazing. His bill was included in the John D. Dingell Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019, a law covering many regional land cases across America.
“The Emery County Land Bill represents the largest transfer of federal land back to the state in Utah’s history,” said Rep. Curtis. “I’m pleased we’re a step closer to seeing this bipartisan legislation fully realized.”
Under the deal announced Nov. 14, the BLM will get about 116,042 acres, much of which is located near congressionally designated wilderness areas. The BLM said this will allow for enhanced public access and better land management.
In exchange, the state’s School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration will receive about 89,390 acres from the BLM that can be developed to spur revenue, ultimately benefiting Utah’s public schools, according to the BLM.
Additionally, the deal will increase the size of the San Rafael Swell Recreation Area, a BLM-managed area established by the Dingell Act of 2019. Management of the area still must adhere to rules and restrictions outlined in the law, including a provision dictating that established oil and gas leases will be honored but new ones won’t.
The legal land transfer is slated to be finished early in 2025, according to the BLM’s notice of decision issued Thursday.