Orrin Hatch: “I want to use this public forum to recognize and thank Robert for his tireless efforts behind the scenes to keep the…”

“I want to use this public forum to recognize and thank Robert for his tireless efforts behind the scenes to keep the Utah Schools and Lands Exchange Act, just passed by the Senate, on track. From the day he arrived on my staff in 1993, I knew he would make my priority his own. I should mention that the first iteration of this legislation was my bill, S. 184, introduced during the 103rd Congress. The bill was enacted into law; but, unfortunately, the required land appraisals were never carried out by the Interior Department. And, the presidential designation of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in 1996 doubled the number of acres of trust land that needed to be offset or compensated.”