Rep. Rob Bishop urges Utah senators to push for federal land reforms and stable PILT funding
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Summary
Congressman Rob Bishop told the Utah Senate the state should press for more local control over federal lands, a stable Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) funding source and reforms to the Antiquities Act, including requiring NEPA review for monument designations.
Congressman Rob Bishop addressed the Utah Senate in a Committee of the Whole, praising the Legislature’s work and outlining a multi‑part agenda on federal land management and veteran services.
Bishop thanked senators for their stewardship and singled out the state’s relationship with Hill Air Force Base. He emphasized the need for clearer, reliable funding for counties that host federal lands and criticized ad‑hoc funding methods. "PILT is the indication that our land policy systems have failed," Bishop said, urging Congress to find a permanent funding source and to restore PILT to the federal budget process.
On federal monument designations, Bishop proposed legislative reforms to the Antiquities Act that would require the same environmental review procedures as other federal actions. "If a president wants to create a monument using antiquities, he needs to go through the same NEPA process," Bishop said, arguing that a public‑input process would reduce mistakes like those he cited in the Grand Staircase‑Escalante designation. He also said emergency monument actions could be time‑limited to three years so Congress can act.
Bishop answered senators’ questions on veterans’ health and PILT timing, saying he is pursuing both short‑term fixes to ensure timely payments and longer‑term funding solutions, including reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund as one potential revenue source.
What happens next: Bishop said he plans to pursue legislative fixes in Congress and welcomed further discussions with state leaders; the Senate returned to regular order after the Committee of the Whole.