WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) released the following statement after the Bureau of Land Management Vernal Field Office announced the conveyance of 790 acres of public lands, known as Ashley Springs Property, in Uintah County.
“One of my first actions in the Senate was co-sponsoring and working to maintain Utah portions of the public lands package, which included legislation to direct the long-sought transfer of 790 acres of federal land to Uintah County,” Senator Romney said. “With the finalization of this land transfer comes the recognition that our land is best managed by the communities and people closest to it—not federal bureaucrats. I’m proud to continue working to secure greater local involvement in the decision making regarding our lands. This is a win for Vernal, Uintah County, and Utah.”
The John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, the public lands package signed into law at the beginning of this session of Congress, directs BLM to convey 790 acres of federal land to Uintah County, which will be managed as open space to protect the watershed and underground karst system and aquifer.