This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The House advanced another resolution on Monday targeting Bears Ears National Monument, proposing the state take over that land if the monument is rescinded and manage it in collaboration with American Indian tribes.
It passed HCR24 on a 61-13 vote, and sent it to the Senate. All of the House's Democrats opposed the resolution, and all its Republicans supported it.
The resolution by Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, calls on the state to acquire the "public land that is occupied by" the new monument using the Recreation and Public Purposes Act.
It says the monument, encompassing 1.3 million acres surrounding Bears Ears Buttes, holds land and objects of great cultural, scientific and historical interest and are "profoundly sacred" to the five tribes that successfully petitioned the Obama administration to designate the monument.
Noel said his proposal is a way to ensure tribal management authority over the monument, something he said the presidential proclamation could not guarantee, although it pays clear deference to tribal wishes and traditional knowledge.
Noel said he believed he could obtain the acreage for free, or for perhaps $25 an acre if the monument is rescinded. He said an entrance fee could be charged that would go to the tribes.
Noel, whose district includes Bears Ears, is a vocal supporter of an earlier resolution calling on President Donald Trump to rescind the monument designation.
Because of that earlier resolution, outdoor retailers decided to pull their twice-a-year-shows out of Salt Lake City in protest. The shows brought about 40,000 visitors and $45 million to Salt Lake City each year.