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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This joint resolution approves a proposed land exchange of state school and
11 institutional trust lands and mineral interest for federal lands and mineral interests.
12 Highlighted Provisions:
13 This resolution:
14 ▸ approves the proposed exchange of school and institutional trust lands and mineral
15 interests in Iron, Kane, San Juan, Tooele, and Uintah counties for United States
16 government lands in Beaver, Carbon, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron,
17 Kane, Millard, Rich, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch,
18 Washington, and Wayne counties; and
19 ▸ recognizes that the land received by the state in the exchange would provide greater
20 economic development potential, and be better managed and administered for the
21 benefit of the state's trust land beneficiaries and economy, than the lands given in
22 the exchange.
23 Special Clauses:
24 None
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26 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
27 WHEREAS, by presidential proclamation dated October 8, 2021, the President of the
28 United States created the Bears Ears National Monument (Monument), which encompasses
29 approximately 1.2 million acres of federal land, and which surrounds as stranded inholdings
30 approximately 130,000 acres of scattered school and institutional trust land parcels managed by
31 the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) for the support of public
32 schools and other beneficiary institutions;
33 WHEREAS, the Governor of the State of Utah and the United States Secretary of the
34 Interior have proposed to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that provides for
35 an exchange of the majority of the state trust land inholdings within the Monument, as well as
36 certain additional trust lands in Iron, Kane, San Juan, Tooele, and Uintah counties, for federal
37 lands with greater economic development potential in the counties listed above;
38 WHEREAS, Utah Code, Subsection 63L-2-201(2), requires legislative approval before
39 a state agency or officer may legally bind the state by executing an agreement to sell or transfer
40 to the United States government 500 or more acres of any state lands or school and institutional
41 trust lands;
42 WHEREAS, the Monument area, together with certain additional acreage that SITLA
43 desires to exchange to the United States, encompasses approximately 149,080 acres of state
44 trust lands, together with 6,700 acres of state trust severed mineral interests and 3,400 acres of
45 state trust surface-only interests;
46 WHEREAS, the MOU, once executed and ratified by Congress, will authorize SITLA
47 to exchange the state trust lands and interests described above for federal lands and mineral
48 interests of approximately equal value throughout the state; and
49 WHEREAS, the land exchange contemplated by the MOU would exchange school trust
50 lands that are currently scattered in small parcels for lands with greater economic development
51 potential that could be more efficiently managed and administered for the benefit of the state's
52 trust lands beneficiaries and economy as a whole:
53 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the State of Utah
54 approves the land exchange between the State of Utah and the United States government, as
55 proposed by the MOU, with authority provided to SITLA to adjust the land package as may be
56 reasonably necessary to effectuate the land exchange and to ensure that approximately equal
57 value is received.