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House passes resource management planning bill to aid county land-use negotiations
Summary
The House passed HB 219 on March 1, 2016, moving a resource management planning measure that gives counties tools and modest funding to produce coordinated plans for federal land negotiations; the vote was 67–0 and the bill will be sent to the Senate.
The Utah House on March 1 passed House Bill 219, a resource management planning bill intended to help counties coordinate local resource plans and negotiate more effectively with federal land managers.
Sponsor Representative Stratton said the bill provides counties a framework to assemble local resources, improve discussions with federal agencies such as the BLM and U.S. Forest Service, and supply a planning tool if land is transferred to state ownership. “What we're doing, the resource management plan, it's a wonderful opportunity for the counties and create a plan that's very effective in their discussions with our federal counterparts,” Stratton said.
Representative Bridal King asked whether the bill recognized that many rural counties lack staff and resources to meet planning deadlines; Stratton said the bill includes provisions to extend deadlines and provide up-front funding to counties with limited resources. "We are extending the deadline...providing for those counties that have limited resources not to do a plan get an extra $25,000 ahead of time," Stratton said.
The bill received broad support and passed the House in a roll call, 67 yes, 0 no. The clerk recorded that HB 219 "will be transmitted to the Senate for its consideration."
