Jon L. Christensen: “H.R. 3786 would authorize the exchange of land within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area for a private parcel…”

“H.R. 3786 would authorize the exchange of land within the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area for a private parcel adjacent to the park. A land exchange issue is very complex, and I want to take this opportunity to commend my colleague, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Cannon), for his work in ushering this bill to the subcommittee and committee and getting it to the floor today. As all of my colleagues are aware, there continues to be great concern regarding exchanges in general. In many instances, it is not at all clear that the taxpayers are receiving full value for the lands being traded away in their names. In fact, in many instances, it is clear they are not. We remain committed to developing a comprehensive approach that might address the failures in the current exchange process. In the meantime, it is our hope that we would only approve specific exchanges that truly serve the best interests of the taxpayers, and it appears we have such an exchange in this instance. The basic concept of the exchange contained in H.R. 3786 appears to serve both the interests of the private landowner as well as the park. In addition, once authorized, this exchange will go through a full NEPA process, including appraisals, which should identify and address any remaining issues. We support passage of H.R. 3786.”