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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;
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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