Rep. James Hansen urges Utah senators to protect Hill Air Force Base and oppose overreaching federal land policies

U.S. Rep. James Hansen addressed the Utah State Senate in a committee-of-the-whole session, focusing on national-security posture, defense spending and threats to western economic interests. Hansen told senators he believes the post–Soviet world remains dangerous and praised the recent selection of Jim Woolsey as CIA director. He urged the Legislature to support efforts that bolster Hill Air Force Base, arguing its loss would produce a sharp local economic downturn: "If we lost Hill Air Force Base, that $200,000,000 you've got just gonna evaporate immediately... you're looking at about 5 and a half billion dollars a year" of economic activity tied to the base.

Hansen also discussed western-land issues — grazing, mining, endangered species listings — and framed several decisions in Washington (including positions taken by Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, as mentioned on the floor) as threats to Western states’ economic interests. He said Western Democrats and Republicans were aligning to resist what he described as policy moves that could restrict resource use. Hansen answered senators’ questions on federal mandates and on the outlook for federal health-care reform, saying he expected only incremental changes at the national level and urging states to proceed with reasonable, state-specific reforms that Congress might later adopt or adapt.

Senators thanked Hansen; no legislative action followed his remarks during this session, but several senators acknowledged the brief as timely for upcoming federal-state coordination on base protection and resource issues.