Bills introduced by Reps. Curtis and Maloy get green light in House • Utah News Dispatch

Utahns in Congress are seeing some success during the lame-duck session of the U.S. House of Representatives.

On Tuesday, the House of Representatives passed two bills sponsored by Rep. Celeste Maloy and two bills sponsored by Rep. John Curtis, both Republicans.

From transferring several federal properties to state control to providing more federal money for water quality projects in the Colorado River, here’s a breakdown of what the bills will accomplish.

Curtis bill increases federal funding for water quality projects in the Colorado River

The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed Curtis’ Colorado River Salinity Control Fix Act, This will direct more federal funding toward efforts to reduce salinity in the lower Colorado River basin.

If the bill passes the Senate, the federal government will bear the burden of costs for projects related to salinity reduction. Federal money would represent at least 70% of funds spent on salinity reduction and, in some cases, 100% of operation and maintenance costs.

​​Most of the salinity in the river basin comes from existing rock formations. Rainfall breaks down the salts and carries them into streams and ultimately the Colorado River. Higher salinity limits farmers’ crop production, reduces crop yields, damages riparian areas and harms the river’s aquatic ecosystem.

Congress passed the Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Act in 1974, which directed the U.S. Department of the Interior to create a salinity control program for the entire Colorado River basin. In a section of Colorado’s Dolores River along the Utah border, for example, rock formations deposit about 150,000 tons of salt into the basin each year. A U.S. Bureau of Reclamation project is working to extract this salt and inject it underground.

But as Colorado River flows decline and salinity increases, Curtis says the law needs to be revised to allow the federal government to allocate more to projects driven by local water conservation districts and leverage local or state funding.

“The Colorado River is the lifeblood of the West and its health is critical to our communities, our economy and our environment,” Curtis said in a statement. “The Colorado River Salinity Control Fix Act builds on decades of collaborative salinity reduction efforts that have resulted in significant improvements in water quality across the basin.”

The Maloy bill would place federal land parcels under Utah’s control

Also on Tuesday was a bill sponsored by Maloy titled “ The Utah State Parks Adjustment Act. The bill would place several parcels of federally controlled land in and around three Utah state parks under Utah control.

The bill would transfer three parcels of land (currently under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service) to Utah to be included as part of Antelope Island State Park, Wasatch Mountain State Park and Fremont Indian State Park. Utah would be required to use the land for public purposes, including parks, campgrounds, recreation areas and permitted livestock grazing.

According to Maloy’s office, all of these parcels are either owned or adjacent to existing Utah State Park boundaries Cards of the planned land transfers in a press release.

“Utah State Parks are managed and well cared for and maintained by Utahns with extensive knowledge of the land,” Maloy said in a prepared statement. “However, the dispersion of federal lands in these parks has made effective management more challenging. I am pleased that the House of Representatives is passing the Utah State Parks Adjustment Act, which will bring these land parcels back under state control.”

The Senate has yet to consider the legislation, although Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, has introduced a companion bill. He issued a statement Tuesday calling the House’s passage of Maloy’s bill “an encouraging victory for all Utahns” that “shows what we can accomplish when local voices are front and center.”

“I look forward to advancing this bill in the Senate to bring these parcels back under state control, streamlining land management and giving Utahns the opportunity to steward the land they know and love,” Lee said.

Linking critical minerals to healthcare

Another bill sponsored by Curtis passed the House of Representatives on Tuesday – the Act recognizing the importance of critical minerals in healthcarewhich amends the Energy Act of 2020.

Now the Secretary of the Interior must consult with the Secretary of Health and Human Services when determining critical minerals, elements, substances, and materials.

The federal government defines a critical mineral as something that “has a high risk of supply chain disruption” and “performs an essential function in one or more energy technologies, including technologies that generate, transmit, store, and conserve energy.”

With the Department of Health and Human Services now included in these designations, Curtis said the nation’s health care system is better positioned to avoid potential disruptions.

“By involving the Department of Health in decisions about critical minerals, we can ensure that important medical technologies – such as MRIs – are never at risk of shortages,” he said in a statement.

The House of Representatives passes the Maloy bill, which would allow a federal courthouse to be held in Moab, Monticello

The House also passed a bill sponsored by Maloy and Curtis on Tuesday. H.R. 8666which would allow additional federal case sites in Moab and Monticello, rural areas in southeastern Utah.

Today, the Central Division of the District of Utah within the U.S. District Court has existing court locations including Ogden, Salt Lake City, Provo and St. George.

“Southeastern Utah residents called to serve as federal jurors are routinely excused on compassionate grounds because the travel requirement is so inconvenient,” the United States Judicial Conference wrote in a July letter Express support for the bill. “The addition of Moab and Monticello as court locations will provide the county flexibility in developing solutions to serve its remote areas, including the option to adopt a jury plan that would make jury duty less burdensome on residents.”

The changes proposed in the bill would also be free, according to the Judicial Conference, noting: “The county has agreements with state/district courts in Moab and Monticello for free use of their facilities.”

“Without this bill allowing trials in Moab and Monticello, residents of southeastern Utah will have to drive several hours to appear before a federal judge or to fulfill their jury duty,” Maloy said in a prepared statement. “I am pleased that the House of Representatives has passed this bill that will allow the Utah Central District Division to hold court in these rural areas, which would save Utahns time and money.”

Curtis also issued a prepared statement saying it is “essential” that “Utah residents have equal access to justice.”

“This bill addresses the challenges facing residents of southeastern Utah and recalls the values ​​of our pioneer ancestors who laid the foundation for our great state,” Curtis said. “Just as they have built communities, we must ensure that the justice system serves all Utahns, regardless of where they live. With the passage of this legislation, we can ensure that residents of rural Utah have a fair opportunity for a speedy trial and can carry out their civic responsibilities without undue burden.”