James Love: “I thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for supporting this legislation. More than 120 years ago, the Utah…”

“I thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for supporting this legislation. More than 120 years ago, the Utah Enabling Act, which enabled my State--now the greatest State in the country--to be admitted into the Union, was approved. This granted Utah the right to select acreage to support various public institutions, including public schools and universities. Now, 123 years later, much of the acreage made available for State selection remains outstanding. The BLM's Pony Express Resource Management Plan governs management practices for public lands in Utah's Tooele, Utah, and Salt Lake Counties. It has identified thousands of acres within the plan's area as available for disposal. The State can presently obtain these lands via land exchange. However, the resource management plan does not explicitly state that these lands can be obtained using the unfulfilled land credits granted by the Utah Enabling Act. {time} 1730 My bill, the Confirming State Land Grants for Education Act, would simply amend the Pony Express RMP to allow the State of Utah to use outstanding land grant credits to obtain lands within the limited area of RMP that already has been identified available for disposal. This solution would satisfy both the State and Federal Government and help to keep the promises made to the State of Utah for more than 120 years.…”