WASHINGTON — Utah’s congressional delegation is pushing to preserve access to the University of Utah’s Research Park amid legal uncertainties posed by the Bureau of Land Management about whether the federal land is being used for its original intent.
Utah Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis, along with Rep. Blake Moore in the House, introduced legislation last week to protect the 593-acre stretch of land on the Fort Douglas Military Reservation as a nationally recognized research park.
The bill has also been co-sponsored by the remainder of the Utah House delegation.
“The University of Utah’s Research Park has been instrumental in putting Utah on the map for innovation, research and development,” Moore said in a statement.
“It is imperative that we support Research Park and the University’s future needs.
I am grateful to introduce this bill alongside Utah’s congressional delegation and look forward to moving it through the legislative process.”
The BLM first issued a land patent to the University of Utah in 1968 after a request by the college to use the military reservation for academic and research use.
Since then, the university has established the nearly 600-acre park as a nationally recognized research facility, housing over 50 companies with more than 14,000 employees.
The patent was issued under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act (R&PP Act) that authorizes the secretary of the interior to allocate federal land for public use such as education and recreational activities.
The patent only requires the university to “comply with the provisions of an approved management plan of development and management.
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