Office of the SecretaryFor Immediate Release
June 27, 2002

Land Exchange in Utah Benefits Natural Resource Conservation,
Schoolchildren, Interior Official Tells Congress

A proposed land exchange between the federal government and the state of Utah will protect sensitive natural resources in Utah's San Rafael Swell and benefit species, such as the threatened desert tortoise, while allowing the state to acquire lands that are rich in mineral resources and can be developed to fund its school system, a senior Interior Department official told Congress today.

Under the agreement, the federal government would receive 108,284 acres of land from Utah. The largest portion of these lands, approximately 102,871 acres in the San Rafael Swell area of central Utah, would be administered by the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management.

"The San Rafael Swell area is an exquisite landscape of high mesas, deep canyons, spectacular arches and soaring spires," Tom Fulton, Interior's deputy assistant secretary for land and minerals management, told the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Recreation and Public Lands in support of legislation that would ratify the land exchange. "By acquiring these lands, the federal government will ensure their conservation for future generations while providing the state the opportunity to provide a better education to its schoolchildren."

The swell's terrain varies from sheer cliffs and dazzling canyons to more gently eroded badlands broken by shallow washes. BLM currently manages the vast majority of this area, but like so many areas in Utah, it is dotted with state trust lands. The agreement places the overwhelming majority of the lands in federal protection with some minor private inholdings remaining. All lands conveyed are subject to valid existing rights, including grazing leases or permits.

In addition to the San Rafael Swell, the federal government will receive 1,773 acres within the Manti-La Sal National Forest, 1,760 acres in Grand County and 6,452 acres in Washington Count, some of which will be acquired through a deferred purchase arrangement. The parcels of land conveyed in Washington County in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve will provide important habitat areas for species such as the desert tortoise.

Desert tortoises have been threatened by loss of habitat, disease and predation by stray animals.

"This area has the highest density of desert tortoises in the country," Fulton said. "The acquisition will allow federal biologists to better the manage the species, helping to ensure its long-term conservation and recovery."

In exchange, the federal government would transfer about 133,000 acres of federal lands to the state of Utah to be managed by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Land Administration. These lands, primarily in Uintah County and Emery County, with lesser acreage in Utah, Washington and Sevier counties, comprise lands with revenue-generating potential for the state's school system.

The transfers include both surface and mineral interests, with two notable exceptions. In the case of the "UaUb Oil Shale Tract," the federal government will receive a share of future oil shale revenues and in the case of "Walker Flat Coal Tract," the coal interest in those lands will revert to the federal government after approximately $46.5 million has been generated from coal production for the state's benefit. These provisions help to ensure that the federal interest is protected.

"The legislation before this committee represents an opportunity to place high resource value lands into public ownership and management while allowing the State of Utah to enhance the return for its schoolchildren," Fulton told the subcommittee. "This agreement accomplishes this in a responsible way with long-term positive benefits for both the federal government and the people of Utah."