Public schools receive over $100 million in trust land distribution
Public schools and other state institutions will receive nearly $112 million in their annual trust land distribution, a 5% increase from last year.
The Trust Lands Administration oversees Utah’s 7.8 million acres of trust lands, which generate revenue via leasing, development and resource extraction. The money is then endowed to schools, universities, hospitals and other institutions across the state.
This year, $106 million of the total distribution will go to K-12 public schools. The remaining $6 million will be shared among 10 other public institutions, including the Juvenile Justice and Youth Services and the Miners Hospital at University of Utah Medical Center.
Utah Attorney General petitions to stop BLM travel management plan
The Utah Attorney General’s Office has filed a petition urging the Bureau of Land Management to reconsider their travel management plan in the Labyrinth Rims Gemini Bridges Area near Moab.
The new plan, announced in September, closes 317 miles of motorized vehicle trails. The BLM states that the closure of these routes will minimize user conflicts and damage to natural and cultural resources and increase public safety.
The attorney general argues that the plan fails to balance recreation and transportation with protecting the natural landscape. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox called the BLM's plan “blatant federal overreach.”
