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House adopts bill to protect military installations and shift compatible‑use administration
Summary
Lawmakers approved a substitute to codify compatible‑use easements and move administration to the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to better protect boundaries around bases such as Hill Air Force Base, Camp Williams and the Tooele Army Depot.
House members adopted the ninth substitute to House Bill 122, titled Military Affairs Amendments, and passed it 70–0. The measure reorganizes certain authority, moves aspects of the Military Base Easements Act to Title 71A and authorizes the Utah Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to administer compatible‑use and easement programs intended to protect military missions from incompatible development near bases.
Representative Thomas Burton, sponsor, said the goal is to preserve military missions and avoid large taxpayer costs that could result if bases need to be relocated. Burton cited concerns about urbanization and foreign ownership near installations and said the bill is narrowly focused on areas adjacent to bases and compatible‑use agreements. “We've never exercised eminent domain on anyone,” he said, describing the voluntary nature of easements.
Questions on the floor focused on geographic scope and whether the bill included broader conservation programs such as the Sentinel Landscape; the sponsor said the substitute removed Sentinel Landscape language and narrowed the scope to military compatibility. Supporters emphasized preserving Utah’s military training space and protecting long‑term federal missions. The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
