Alan Simpson: “H.R. 2818 is a simple, straightforward bill that would convey approximately 10.23 acres of public land located within…”

“H.R. 2818 is a simple, straightforward bill that would convey approximately 10.23 acres of public land located within the Bureau of Land Management Sand Mountain Wilderness Study Area, located near St. Anthony in southeast Idaho, to the owner of the Sand Hills Resort. The Sand Hills Resort will pay fair market value for the land as valued by an appraisal. In 1971, Mr. Williams, the current owner of the Sand Hills Resort, purchased the 5-acre resort and existing developments and over the ensuing 31 years has added numerous improvements to the property. The resort is a gateway to the St. Anthony Sand Dunes, a popular recreational area in southeast Idaho. Unfortunately, the 5-acre resort and a small strip of land containing roads, camping sites and power lines was inadvertently included in BLM's Sand Mountain Wilderness Study Area boundary, which was established in 1981. Mr. Williams successfully operated the resort until the early 1990s, when the BLM began to question the location of the resort and several facilities located on the resort.”