Utah Calls Off Land Swap With Federal Government

(Salt Lake City, UT) — A previously planned land swap with the Federal Government has been called off by Utah’s top officials. The GOP Governor, Senate President, and House Speaker said in a press confrence that they will not go forward with a plan that would have seen the state regain control of land in Bear’s Ears in exchange for nearly equivalent acres in San Juan, Emery and Millard counties. In a joint statement they accused the Biden Administration of ignoring their input. The land acquired by the state would have been controlled by the Utah Trust Lands Administration whose responsibility is to lease lands for mines and sell land to generate money for Utah Public Schools. The Utah state director of federal Bureau of Land Management said the agency was disappointed and that it is a setback but are still committed to exploring avenues of collaboration with the State of Utah to the benefit of all.