Orrin Hatch: “I rise, along with Senator Bennett, to introduce the Dutch John Privatization Act. Dutch John, a city in Daggett County…”

“I rise, along with Senator Bennett, to introduce the Dutch John Privatization Act. Dutch John, a city in Daggett County, UT, was established in 1958 by the Bureau of Reclamation to provide a community for the construction and operation of the Flaming Gorge Dam on the Green River. The dam was completed in 1964. This bill will remove the 2,400 acre township from Federal ownership by allowing for a buy-out of homes by existing lessees and permittees at fair market value and for a transition to local government ownership over 15 years. This legislation is the result of years of discussion among local, State, and Federal officials, including the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Forest Service, and Daggett County. During the construction of Flaming Gorge Dam, the population of Dutch John reached more than 2,000 people. Today this remote town has approximately 175 persons. As small as it is, the Federal Government still pays about $1 million each year to run the city. As the landlord for Dutch John, the Federal Government must provide the water infrastructure, the sewer system, city roads, and various other public goods and services. Privatizing Dutch John would release the Federal Government from the burden of the operation and maintenance of this town. The current mandate and budget constraints of the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Forest Service act as disincentives for the Federal Government to invest in Dutch John.”