This document includes Senate Committee Amendments incorporated into the bill on Tue, Feb 28, 2017 at 9:33 AM by lpoole.
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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING NASA TO

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CONSIDER TOOELE COUNTY FOR A TEST FACILITY

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2017 GENERAL SESSION

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STATE OF UTAH

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Chief Sponsor: Douglas V. Sagers

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Senate Sponsor: Ralph Okerlund

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8     LONG TITLE
9     General Description:
10          This concurrent resolution supports the building of a NASA drone testing facility and
11     Command Control Center in Tooele County, Utah.
12     Highlighted Provisions:
13          This resolution:
14          ▸     recognizes the favorable conditions that make Tooele County, Utah, an ideal site to
15     locate unmanned vehicle testing;
16          ▸     acknowledges the positive economic impact that a NASA drone testing facility and
17     Command Control Center would have on Tooele County and the state; and
18          ▸     supports the building of a NASA drone testing facility and Command Control
19     Center in Tooele County, Utah.
20     Special Clauses:
21          None
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23     Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
24          WHEREAS, Congress has directed the Federal Aviation Administration and the
25     National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to select a single national test site for
26     commercial drone testing Ŝ→ [
by April 15, 2017] ←Ŝ ;
27          WHEREAS, the landscape and topography of Tooele County, Utah, is ideal for testing

28     airborne and land-based unmanned vehicles;
29          WHEREAS, Tooele County is a dedicated "friendly" unmanned vehicle testing county;
30          WHEREAS, airspace over portions of Tooele County is already dedicated to military
31     testing, and there is substantial additional space available for nonmilitary, commercial drone
32     testing;
33          WHEREAS, Tooele County has existing infrastructure in place from former, completed
34     military missions;
35          WHEREAS, on behalf of the United States, Tooele County has historically been willing
36     to conduct military missions involving chemical, biological, and other weapons testing, and
37     undertake the destruction of nuclear missiles and other weapons under the Strategic Arms
38     Reduction Treaty;
39          WHEREAS, over several decades, Tooele County has developed a vast military and
40     commercial waste storage infrastructure, which is now declining;
41          WHEREAS, Tooele County must diversify its economy in order to meet future
42     economic needs;
43          WHEREAS, the state of Utah is committed to developing a drone-friendly economic
44     culture;
45          WHEREAS, bringing NASA into Utah creates significant new educational
46     opportunities for students attending Utah's state and private institutions of higher learning;
47          WHEREAS, according to the state's economist, NASA's testing facility and Command
48     Control Center operations would provide an economic benefit to the state of at least $250
49     million annually; and
50          WHEREAS, Tooele County represents an extremely favorable site to locate advanced,
51     nonwaste related open areas for unmanned vehicle testing:
52          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
53     Governor concurring therein, supports the building of a NASA test facility and a subsequent
54     Command Control Center in Tooele County.
55          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor request that the
56     Governor's Office of Economic Development work in conjunction with Tooele County to
57     develop a plan to expand Utah's unmanned vehicle infrastructure.







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