The Hill Creek Cultural Preservation and Energy Development Act (; ) is a United States public law that was introduced into the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
of the
113th United States Congress
The 113th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015, during the fifth and sixth years of Presidency of Barack Obama, Barack Obama's presiden ...
on January 23, 2013, by
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT). The law outlines a swap in the ownership of
mineral rights of certain pieces of land located in Utah. The United States federal government, Utah's School and Institutional Trust Land Administration (SITLA), and the
Ute Indian Tribe
Ute () are the Indigenous people of the Ute tribe and culture among the Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. They had lived in sovereignty in the regions of present-day Utah and Colorado in the Southwestern United States for many centuries unt ...
of the
Uintah and Ouray Reservation
The Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation (, ) is located in northeastern Utah, United States. It is the homeland of the Ute Indian Tribe (Ute dialect: Núuchi-u), and is the largest of three Indian reservations inhabited by members of the Ute Tribe ...
are all involved in the exchange.
Provisions/Elements of the bill
''This summary is based largely on information provided by the
Congressional Research Service
The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a public policy research institute of the United States Congress. Operating within the Library of Congress, it works primarily and directly for members of Congress and their committees and staff on a c ...
and the
Congressional Budget Office, both
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
sources.''
The Hill Creek Cultural Preservation and Energy Development Act would authorize the state of
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
to relinquish for the benefit of the
Ute Indian Tribe
Ute () are the Indigenous people of the Ute tribe and culture among the Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. They had lived in sovereignty in the regions of present-day Utah and Colorado in the Southwestern United States for many centuries unt ...
of the
Uintah and Ouray Reservation
The Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation (, ) is located in northeastern Utah, United States. It is the homeland of the Ute Indian Tribe (Ute dialect: Núuchi-u), and is the largest of three Indian reservations inhabited by members of the Ute Tribe ...
certain of its school trust or subsurface mineral lands south of the border between
Grand County and
Uintah County, Utah, in exchange for certain federal subsurface mineral lands north of that border.
The bill sets out the details of a mineral rights swap between Utah's School and Institutional Trust Land Administration (SITLA), the federal government, and the Ute Indian Tribe.
The Hill Creek Cultural Preservation and Energy Development Act establishes a framework under which this switch can take place. According to the Congressional Budget Office, about 18,000 acres are being considered in exchange for 18,000 different acres.
In setting up the conditions for the swap the bill directs the
Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...
to reserve an overriding interest in a portion of the land being exchanged, namely that portion of the mineral estate composed of minerals subject to leasing under the
Mineral Leasing Act in the mineral lands conveyed to Utah. The bill also requires Utah to reserve, for the benefit of its school trust, an overriding interest in that portion of the mineral estate composed of minerals subject to leasing under the Mineral Leasing Act in the mineral lands it relinquished to the federal government.
Procedural history
The Hill Creek Cultural Preservation and Energy Development Act was introduced into the House by
Rep. Rob Bishop (R-UT) on January 23, 2013. It was referred to the
United States House Committee on Natural Resources and then to two of its subcommittees, the
and the
. On April 24, 2013, it was ordered to be reported by Unanimous Consent by the House Committee on Natural Resources.
The House Majority Leader
Eric Cantor announced on Friday May 10, 2013 that H.R. 1580 would be considered the following week.
On May 15, 2013, the House voted in a
voice vote
In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...
to pass the bill.
The bill was sent to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
and referred to the
United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
The United States Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources is a standing committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to energy and mineral resources, including nuclear development; irrigation and recla ...
. On July 9, 2014, the Senate voted to pass the bill with
unanimous consent. On July 25, 2014, President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
signed the bill into law.
Debate and discussion
Senator
Orrin Hatch
Orrin Grant Hatch (March 22, 1934 – April 23, 2022) was an American attorney and politician who served as a United States senator from Utah from 1977 to 2019. Hatch's 42-year Senate tenure made him the longest-serving Republican U.S. senator ...
supported the bill, arguing that it "gives Utahns greater opportunity to manage the specified lands and structures as they see fit."
Hatch argued that the bill "creates an important new opportunity for energy in our state."
supported the bill. A spokesman said that "this legislation will help protect one of the most
ecologically critical and
culturally sensitive lands in the country".
See also
*
Ute people
Ute () are the Indigenous people of the Ute tribe and culture among the Indigenous peoples of the Great Basin. They had lived in sovereignty in the regions of present-day Utah and Colorado in the Southwestern United States for many centuries unt ...
*
Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation
*
List of bills in the 113th United States Congress
*
Mineral rights
Notes/References
External links
Library of Congress – Thomas H.R. 356beta.congress.gov H.R. 356GovTrack.us H.R. 356OpenCongress.org H.R. 356Congressional Budget Office Report on H.R. 356
{{US government sources
United States federal public land legislation
Acts of the 113th United States Congress
Ute (ethnic group)
Legal history of Utah
Geography of Uintah County, Utah
Geography of Grand County, Utah
Landmarks in Utah