Orrin Hatch: “I rise to introduce the Utah Public Land Conveyance Act of 2007, S. 532. This legislation is designed to improve the…”

“I rise to introduce the Utah Public Land Conveyance Act of 2007, S. 532. This legislation is designed to improve the management of public lands and open space for the benefit of the citizens of Park City, UT. Park City has an existing lease on an 88-acre parcel of Bureau of Land Management land known as Gambel Oak and on a 20-acre parcel of BLM land known as White Acre. The leases for these properties have been for recreational and public open space purposes. This legislation would convey these two parcels to Park City, so that they can be better managed for recreation and open space. The BLM has limited resources and is not able to manage these lands for the full benefit of the public. It's important to note that although these parcels of lands would be conveyed to Park City, they would continue to be protected from development and could be used only for recreational and public open space purposes. Moreover, this bill would require Park City to pay fair market value for the land. I believe having public lands interspersed with private lands within a city's boundary creates unnecessary management headaches, and the land conveyance to Park City will help bring cohesion to Park City's overall effort to manage their city's growth for the benefit of its citizens.”