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Senate advances bill to clarify state lands around Bear River Bird Refuge; sponsors say refuge operations won’t change
Summary
Senate passed House Bill 192, a measure described by its sponsor as a 'real-estate cleanup' intended to restart negotiations with federal officials over intermingled state and refuge lands; sponsors repeatedly stated the bill would not close or change the federal refuge.
Senators debated and passed House Bill 192 on Feb. 27, a bill intended to clarify state ownership of lands intermingled with the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and to prompt renewed negotiations with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Sponsor Senator Knudson framed the measure as a narrowly tailored real-estate bill intended to bring federal negotiators back to the table. "This bill will not close or change the status of the federal bird refuge near Brigham City," Knudson told colleagues, adding that the refuge would continue day to day as a federal facility and that the state would issue a general-use permit while negotiations proceed.
Knudson and others recounted decades of negotiation history, noting prior agreements, appraisals and ongoing appraisal work. The bill delays enactment for more than a year to allow appraisal and negotiation; senators also discussed how any proceeds from a negotiated sale would be managed under state rules. Opponents raised concerns about hunting access, water rights and possible changes in management, but the sponsor repeatedly emphasized federal operation would continue.
After floor debate the Senate read HB192 for a third time and recorded 21 yes votes, 4 nays and 4 absent; the sponsor said the bill creates a mechanism to reach a negotiated settlement and does not alter refuge operations in the near term.
