Analysis of the public lands debate in Utah

Deseret News

The federal government owns around 635 million acres, or 28% of the land comprising the United States. Within Utah, nearly 67% of the state’s total acreage, or 35 million acres, is owned by the federal government. Throughout the nation’s history, groups have debated who should control this land and how it should be managed. In 2012, the Utah State Legislature passed the Transfer of Public Lands Act (TPLA), which demands the United States transfer an estimated 20 million acres of public lands to the State of Utah before December 31, 2014.

Supporters of the TPLA argue that increased economic activity on public lands would solve the state’s education funding problems. However, this argument does not consider the history of education funding in Utah. In 1995, Utah had the seventh highest funding effort for K-12 education in the country. Since that time, the funding effort has steadily declined, and Utah now ranks 32nd. Education funding in Utah is low because of changes to property taxes in Utah and the way education funds are dedicated. Access to federal land may not be the reason for Utah’s low education funding, but greater economic activity on those lands could provide new sources of funding that would benefit education. Utah Foundation