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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor expresses support for a
11 military test site in western Utah under certain conditions.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 ▸ expresses support for the Utah Test and Training Range Expansion Proposal for a
15 military test site in western Utah, provided the conditions listed in the resolution are
16 included in the final proposal.
17 Special Clauses:
18 None
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20 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
21 WHEREAS, Hill Air Force Base is the largest single-site employer within the state of
22 Utah;
23 WHEREAS, 25,563 direct personnel work within Hill Air Force Base, including 5,525
24 military, 3,767 military dependents, and 12,545 civilians;
25 WHEREAS, Hill Air Force Base creates an estimated $1.24 billion in jobs annually;
26 WHEREAS, Hill Air Force base has a total annual economic impact of $3.31 billion;
27 WHEREAS, Hill Air Force Base's 388th Fighter Wing and the Air Force Reserve 419th
28 Fighter Wing will become the Air Force's first operational squadrons of the F-35 Joint Strike
29 Fighter;
30 WHEREAS, 72 jets will be supported by these fighter wings;
31 WHEREAS, for aircrew training and weapons testing, the Utah Test and Training
32 Range is the largest overland safety footprint available in the Department of Defense;
33 WHEREAS, 5th generation weapons, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the F-22
34 Raptor, and weapons such as the future Long-Range Strike Bomber and long-range, ultra-fast,
35 non-nuclear, hypersonic weapons, require a larger weapons testing footprint than exists within
36 the current Utah Test and Training Range;
37 WHEREAS, each year, the Department of Defense publishes a Sustainable Ranges
38 Report to Congress;
39 WHEREAS, this report summarizes the department's actions to ensure the long-term
40 sustainability of its ranges;
41 WHEREAS, consistently highlighted in these reports are three Utah Test and Training
42 Range deficiencies:
43 • inability to accommodate 5th generation aircraft and weapons;
44 • potential encroachment from development that would disrupt test and training
45 capabilities; and
46 • congestion resulting from increased activity in fulfillment of the United States Air
47 Force, the United States Army, and National Guard missions;
48 WHEREAS, expansion of the Utah Test and Training Range would alleviate these
49 deficiencies and ensure the viability of Hill Air Force Base and the Utah Test and Training
50 Range for decades to come;
51 WHEREAS, the proposal to expand the Utah Test and Training Range includes the
52 withdrawal of over 625,643 acres of Bureau of Land Management land for use by the Secretary
53 of the Air Force for national security purposes;
54 WHEREAS, the Utah Test and Training Range Expansion Proposal would consolidate
55 School and Institutional Trust Lands parcels and improve the Utah Test and Training Range's
56 ability to fulfill current and future mission requirements; and
57 WHEREAS, Utah Code Section 63L-2-201 requires the Legislature to approve a plan to
58 sell or transfer 10,000 or more acres of School and Institutional Trust Lands, and the final
59 proposal shall still be subject to final legislative approval:
60 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
61 Governor concurring therein, expresses support for the Utah Test and Training Range
62 Expansion Proposal, provided the following conditions are part of the final proposal:
63 • the proposal will not create a net gain of federal lands within the state of Utah;
64 • as outlined in the expansion proposal, a "Resource Management Group" will be
65 established to provide regular and continuing input to the Secretary of the Air Force on matters
66 involving public access to, use of, and overall management of the public land withdrawn by the
67 proposal;
68 • continued access and use of the withdrawn lands by the public will continue, except
69 during times of temporary closure by the Air Force;
70 • no new federal wilderness will be designated through this proposal;
71 • the grazing permits currently contained within the withdrawn areas will be
72 maintained;
73 • Interstate 80 will not be closed as a result of this proposal;
74 • current restricted airspace and military operating area of airspace will not be
75 expanded, adjusted, or changed through this proposal;
76 • nothing in this proposal relating to the reestablishment of bighorn sheep in the
77 Newfoundland Mountains will change existing agreements between the Air Force, the Bureau
78 of Land Management, the Utah Department of Natural Resources, and the Utah Division of
79 Wildlife Resources;
80 • no munitions ordinance will intentionally land or be detonated within the withdrawn
81 areas;
82 • in the event of the release of unintended munitions ordinance onto the withdrawn
83 lands, the Secretary of the Air Force will conduct the land appropriate response activities in
84 accordance with applicable laws and regulations;
85 • nothing in the proposal will prevent the use, access to, or access of ground emergency
86 response, to the withdrawn areas;
87 • access to the Knolls Special Recreation Management Area will continue, except
88 through temporary closures by the Air Force;
89 • this proposal will not limit or alter any existing rights to access National Historic
90 Trails, or other federal or state historic landmarks, except through temporary closures by the
91 Air Force; and
92 • this proposal will not alter or change existing water rights or uses in Utah's West
93 Desert.
94 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor support the
95 continued exploration of this plan but reserves the approval or rejection required by Utah Code
96 Section 63L-2-201 until the body is presented with a final proposal.
97 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Secretary of
98 the Air Force, the Secretary of the Army, the Commander of the National Guard of the United
99 States, the Utah National Guard, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the Department of
100 Defense, the Bureau of Land Management, the Utah Department of Natural Resources, the
101 Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands
102 Administration, Hill Air Force Base, Hill Air Force Base's 388th Fighter Wing and the Air
103 Force Reserve 419th Fighter Wing, the Utah Test and Training Range, and the members of
104 Utah's congressional delegation.
Legislative Review Note
as of 2-11-15 3:55 PM
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel