Utah Schools and Lands Exchange Act of 1998
PL 105-335 (H.R.3830), enacted 10/31/1998

PUBLIC LAW 105-335—OCT. 31, 1998 
112 STAT. 3139 
Public Law 105-335 
105th Congress 
. 
An Act 
To provide for the exchange of certain lands within the State of Utah. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the "Utah Schools and Lands Exchange 
Act of 1998". 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The State of Utah owns approximately 176,600 acres 
of land, as well as approximately 24,165 acres of mineral 
interests, administered by the Utah School and Institutional 
Trust Lands Administration, within the exterior boundaries 
of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, estab-
lished by Presidential proclamation on September 18, 1996, 
pursuant to section 2 of the Antiquities Act of 1906 (16 U.S.C. 
431). The State of Utah also owns approximately 200,000 acres 
of land, and 76,000 acres of mineral interests, administered 
by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administra-
tion, within the exterior boundaries of several units of the 
National Park System and the National Forest System, and 
within certain Indian reservations in Utah. These lands were 
granted by Congress to the State of Utah pursuant to the 
Utah Enabling Act (chap. 138, 28 Stat. 107 (1894)), to be 
held in trust for the benefit of the State's public school system 
and other public institutions. 
(2) Many of the State school trust lands within the monu-
ment may contain significant economic quantities of mineral 
resources, including coal, oil, and gas, tar sands, coalbed meth-
ane, titanium, uranium, and other energy and metalliferous 
minerals. Certain State school trust lands within the Monu-
ment, like the Federal lands comprising the Monument, have 
substantial noneconomic scientific, historic, cultural, scenic, rec-
reational, and natural resources, including ancient Native 
American archeological sites and rare plant and animal commu-
nities. 
(3) Development of surface and mineral resources on State 
school trust lands within the Monument could be incompatible 
with the preservation of these scientific and historic resources 
for which the Monument was established. Federal acquisition 
of State school trust lands within the Monument would elimi-
nate this potential incompatibility, and would enhance manage-
ment of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 
Oct. 31, 1998 
[H.R. 3830] 
Utah Schools and 
Lands Exchange 
Act of 1998. 
16 u s e 431 note 
[table]. 
112 STAT. 3140 
PUBLIC LAW 105-335—OCT. 31, 1998 
(4) The United States owns lands and interest in lands 
outside of the Monument that can be transferred to the State 
of Utah in exchange for the Monument inholdings without 
jeopardizing Federal management objectives or needs. 
(5) In 1993, Congress passed and the President signed 
Public Law 103-93, which contained a process for exchanging 
State of Utah school trust inholdings in the National Park 
System, the National Forest System, and certain Indian res-
ervations in Utah. Among other things, it identified various 
Federal lands and interests in land that were available to 
exchange for these State inholdings. 
(6) Although Public Law 103-93 offered the hope of a 
prompt, orderly exchange of State inholdings for Federal lands 
elsewhere, implementation of the legislation has been very 
slow. Completion of this process is realistically estimated to 
be many years away, at great expense to both the State and 
the United States in the form of expert witnesses, lawyers, 
appraisers, and other litigation costs. 
(7) The State also owns approximately 2,560 acres of land 
in or near the Alton coal field which has been declared an 
area unsuitable for coal mining under the terms of the Surface 
Mining Control and Reclamation Act. This land is also adminis-
tered by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands 
Administration, but its use is limited given this declaration. 
(8) The large presence of State school trust land inholdings 
in the Monument, national parks, national forests, and Indian 
reservations make land and resource management in these 
areas difficult, costly, and controversial for both the State of 
Utah and the United States. 
(9) It is in the public interest to reach agreement on 
exchange of inholdings, on terms fair to both the State and 
the United States. Agreement saves much time and delay in 
meeting the expectations of the State school and institutional 
trusts, in simplifying management of Federal and Indian lands 
and resources, and in avoiding expensive, protracted litigation 
under Public Law 103-93. 
(10) The State of Utah and the United States have reached 
an agreement under which the State would exchange all its 
State school trust lands within the Monument, and specified 
inholdings in national parks, forests, and Indian reservations 
that are subject to Public Law 103-93, for various Federal 
lands and interests in lands located outside the Monument, 
including Federal lands and interests identified as available 
for exchange in Public Law 103-93 and additional Federal 
lands and interests in lands. 
(11) The State school trust lands to be conveyed to the 
Federal Government include properties within units of the 
National Park System, the National Forest System, and the 
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The Federal 
assets made available for exchange with the State were selected 
with a great sensitivity to environmental concerns and a belief 
and expectation by both parties that Federal assets to be con-
veyed to the State would be unlikely to trigger significant 
environmental controversy. 
(12) The parties agreed at the outset of negotiations to 
avoid identif3dng Federal assets for conveyance to the State 
where any of the following was known to exist or likely to 
PUBLIC LAW 105-335—OCT. 31, 1998 
112 STAT. 3141 
be an issue as a result of foreseeable future uses of the land: 
significant wildlife resources, endangered species habitat, 
significant archaeological resources, areas of critical environ-
mental concern, coal resources requiring surface mining to 
extract the mineral deposits, wilderness study areas, significant 
recreational areas, or any other lands known to raise significant 
environmental concerns of any kind. 
(13) The parties further agreed that the use of any mineral 
interests obtained by the State of Utah where the Federal 
Government retains surface and other interest, will not conflict 
with established Federal land and environmental management 
objectives, and shall be fully subject to all environmental regu-
lations applicable to development of non-Federal mineral 
interest on Federal lands. 
(14) Because the inholdings to be acquired by the Federal 
Government include properties within the boundaries of some 
of the most renowned conservation land units in the United 
States, and because a mission of the Utah School and Institu-
tional Trust Lands Administration is to produce economic bene-
fits for Utah's public schools and other beneficiary institutions, 
the exchange of lands called for in this agreement will resolve 
many longstanding environmental conflicts and further the 
interest of the State trust lands, the school children of Utah, 
and these conservation resources. 
(15) The Congress finds that, under this Agreement taken 
as a whole, the State interests to be conveyed to the United 
States by the State of Utah, and the Federal interests and 
payments to be conveyed to the State of Utah by the United 
States, are approximately equal in value. 
(16) The purpose of this legislation is to enact into law 
and direct prompt implementation of this historic agreement. 
SEC. 3. RATIFICATION OF AGREED EXCHANGE BETWEEN THE STATE 
OF UTAH AND THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR. 
(a) AGREEMENT.—The State of Utah and the Department of 
the Interior have agreed to exchange certain Federal lands. Federal 
mineral interests, and payment of money for lands and mineral 
interests managed by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands 
Administration, lands and mineral interests of approximately equal 
value inheld within the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monu-
ment the Goshute and Navajo Indian Reservations, units of the 
National Park System, the National Forest System, and the Alton 
coal fields. 
(b) RATIFICATION.—^AIl terms, conditions, procedures, covenants, 
reservations, and other provisions set forth in the document entitled 
"Agreement to Exchange Utah School Trust Lands Between the 
State of Utah and the United States of America" (herein referred 
to as "the Agreement") are hereby incorporated in this title, are 
ratified and confirmed, and set forth the obligations and commit-
ments of the United States, the State of Utah, and Utah School 
and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (herein referred to 
as "SITLA"), as a matter of Federal law. 
SEC. 4. LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—^The maps and legal descriptions referred 
to in the Agreement depict the lands subject to the conveyances. 
112 STAT. 3142 
PUBLIC LAW 105-335—OCT. 31, 1998 
(b) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The maps and descriptions referred 
to in the Agreement shall be on file and available for public inspec-
tion in the offices of the Secretary of the Interior and the Utah 
State Director of the Bureau of Land Management. 
(c) CONFLICT.—In case of conflict between the maps and the 
legal descriptions, the legal descriptions shall control. 
SEC. 5. COSTS. 
The United States and the State of Utah shall each bear 
its own respective costs incurred in the implementation of this 
Act. 
SEC. 6. REPEAL OF PUBLIC LAW 103-93 AND PUBLIC LAW 104-211. 
The provisions of Public Law 103-93 (107 Stat. 995), other 
than section 7(b)(1), section 7(b)(3), and section 10(b) thereof, are 
hereby repealed. Public Law 104-211 (110 Stat. 3013) is hereby 
repealed. 
SEC. 7. CASH PAYMENT PREVIOUSLY AUTHORIZED. 
As previously authorized and made available by section 7(b)(1) 
and (b)(3) of Public Law 103-93, upon completion of all conveyances 
described in the Agreement, the United States shall pay $50,000,000 
to the State of Utah from funds not otherwise appropriated from 
the Treasury. 
SEC. 8. SCHEDULE FOR CONVEYANCES. 
All conveyances under sections 2 and 3 of the agreement shall 
be completed within 70 days after the enactment of this Act. 
Approved October 31, 1998. 
L E G I S L A T I V E HISTORY—H.R. 3830: 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 105-598 (Comm. on Resources). 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 105-331 (Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 144 (1998): 
June 24, considered and passed House. 
Oct. 9, considered and passed Senate. 
WEEKLY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS, Vol. 34 (1998): 
Oct. 31, Presidential statement.