Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 2.djvu/178

 114 STAT. 1060 PUBLIC LAW 106-301—OCT. 13, 2000 (5) It is in the public interest to reach agreement on exchange of such inholdings, on terms fair to both the State of Utah and the United States. Such an agreement, subject to ratification by the Congress, would save much time and delay in meeting the legitimate expectations of the State school and institutional trusts, in simplifying management of Federal lands, and in avoiding the significant time and expense associated with administrative land exchanges, (6) The State of Utah and the United States have reached an agreement under which the State would exchange certain State trust lands within specified wilderness study areas and areas identified as having wilderness characteristics in the West Desert region for various Federal lands and interests in lands outside of those areas but in the same region of Utah. The agreement also provides for the State to convey to the United States approximately 483 acres of land in Washington County, Utah, that has been designated as critical habitat for the Desert Tortoise, a threatened species, for inclusion in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve. (7) Because the inholdings to be acquired by the Federal Government include properties within some of the most spectacular wild areas in the western United States, and because a mission of the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration is to produce economic benefits for Utah's public schools and other beneficiary institutions, the exchange of lands called for in this agreement will resolve longstanding environmental conflicts with respect to the existing and proposed wilderness study areas, place importemt natural lands into public ownership, and further the interests of the State trust lands, the school children of Utah, and these conservation resources. (8) 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 to be conveyed to the State of Utah by the United States, will be approximately equal in value. (b) PURPOSE. — The purpose of this Act is to enact into law and direct prompt implementation of this agreement, and thereby to further the public interest by consolidating State and Federal lands into manageable units while facilitating the protection of lands with significant scientific, cultural, and natural resources. SEC. 3. RATIFICATION OF THE 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 and mineral interests in the State of Utah for lands and mineral interests of approximately equal value managed by the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration wholly or partially within certain existing and proposed wilderness study areas in the West Desert region of Utah. (b) RATIFICATION. — Al l terms, conditions, procedures, covenants, reservations, and other provisions set forth in the document entitled "Agreement for Exchange of Lands—West Desert State-Federal Land Consolidation", dated May 30, 2000 (in this Act referred to as "the Agreement"), are hereby incorporated in this Act, are

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