Land sales in House bill follow path of Utah pipeline, greens say
Several parcels in southwestern Utah are getting a close look as conservation advocates warn of the proposed sale of some federal lands to local governments that mirror the path of a disputed water pipeline project.
Environmental groups are monitoring congressional action on an amendment that would allow the city of St. George and other local governments to buy about 10,000 acres of federal lands. Water managers, too, are keeping close tabs on the legislation but say the land in question is needed for other projects for the growing desert region, unrelated to the long-delayed Lake Powell pipeline.
The scattered parcels — part of a broader amendment inserted into the House GOP's tax, energy and national security megabill that would mandate the sale of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands — have drawn interest because the sites align with the proposed route of the pipeline that would draw Colorado River water to St. George.
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'It's arguably the most controversial water project proposed in the entire basin,' said Zach Frankel, executive director of the Utah Rivers Council. 'Utah has shown no concerns about infuriating other states in the basin over this pipeline proposal for the last 15 years.'
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