Washington » The House on Wednesday moved to allow a trade of some 40,000 acres of federal parcels in Utah with state trust lands to help unlock an ownership checkerboard.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, passed the House unanimously Wednesday morning, the second time the legislation has cleared that hurdle. A Senate version also has been introduced but it's unclear when that measure will move.

Matheson said the House measure will help the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) manage its parcels by grouping them together where they may yield better revenues for Utah schools.

The bipartisan bill brought together a broad mix of voices, Matheson said, and could serve as a model for future land exchanges.

"The result is a proposal that is fair to the taxpayer, beneficial to Utah school children, mindful of hunting and other public access opportunities and a better configuration for land managers to protect habitat, watershed and recreational values," Matheson said.

Under the bill, SITLA is authorized to pursue a trade with the Bureau of Land Managment that would offer the federal agency school trust lands in Grand and San Juan counties. The trust lands administration would get BLM parcels in Uintah County, where there is more potential for oil and natural gas production.

"The fundamental concept of the bill is that we're trading tens of thousands

of acres of very scenic lands that have little or no income generating potential, for tens of thousands of acres of lands that have equal value, but have the ability to generate revenue for our beneficiary, the school children," said SITLA's director, Kevin Carter.

If the Senate approves the deal, the land swap may still take a while, Carter said, because the parcels must be valued to ensure a fair trade. The bill has been introduced for the last three congressional sessions but never passed both chambers.

tburr@sltrib.com