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BLM posts direct-sale notice for 157-acre parcel; lands council to draft comment letter
Summary
BLM staff told the Emery County Public Lands Council the agency posted a federal-register notice and EA comment period for a direct sale of roughly 157 acres that includes a long-used golf course; council members agreed to draft a one-paragraph letter of support for consideration at their next meeting.
BLM staff told the Emery County Public Lands Council that a direct-sale proposal to convey about 157 acres (including the existing golf course footprint) to the city of Ferron has been posted to the Federal Register and is open for public comment.
The staff noted the parcel has been managed under an older Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) patent process since 1984 for the first nine holes and later expansions; a direct sale would convey the federal land to the city without the reversionary clause that typically attaches to R&PP patents. BLM said it has completed surveys and valuation work, the EA is on the agency’s eplanning site and the Federal Register posting begins a 45-day review window. Staff also noted that an agency cannot sell land until the statutory hold periods and the governor’s review are completed (BLM cited a 60-day administrative period after the Federal Register notice before an offer could proceed).
Council members discussed whether the lands council should submit a formal letter of support. A county council member asked whether the council could produce a concise, one-paragraph letter to be ratified at the next meeting; BLM staff and several councilors agreed to draft the paragraph and place it on the next agenda for approval. BLM staff flagged a discrepancy between a news release date and an online closing date (one source showing June 4 and another the 14th), and asked that submitters confirm dates when filing comments.
BLM staff emphasized that the public may comment electronically on the EA and that comments received through the Federal Register and the agency’s eplanning site are considered. Staff also described related upcoming land actions — including a separate parcel tied to the Hunter Power Plant reclamation needs — and said additional direct-sale opportunities may follow similar procedures.
Council members who use the golf course and others in the room supported submitting comments; several said they would also submit individual comments as private citizens. The council agreed to prepare a draft letter in advance of the next meeting so members could review and, if appropriate, ratify it.
