Congressman Blake Moore's Legislation to Preserve University of Utah’s Research Park Passes the House of Representatives
WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Blake Moore's legislation to protect and preserve the University of Utah’s nearly 600-acre Research Park passed the House of Representatives by unanimous consent. Working alongside University of Utah leadership, Congressman Moore crafted the University of Utah Research Park Act to ensure the U can continue to serve as a premier research incubator.
“The University of Utah’s Research Park has been instrumental in putting Utah on the map for innovation, research, and development," Congressman Moore said. “This legislation will provide the U with the stability necessary to meet the needs of its students, the community, and industry. I am grateful for the bill's bipartisan support and am thrilled it passed the House! Go Utes!"
“Representative Moore’s bill will make a technical fix to allow the University of Utah full use of their facilities, free from federal interference. As a proud Utahn, Representative Moore’s attention to this legislation shows he has the best interests of his state at heart. I am proud to work alongside him and Senator Lee on this legislation and hope to see it on the President’s desk swiftly,” House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Bruce Westerman said.
The bill addresses legal uncertainties surrounding the university's use of land initially conveyed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 1968 under the Recreation and Public Purposes (R&PP) Act. At that time, the university requested land on the Fort Douglas Military Reservation for academic and research use--a request approved and granted by BLM. Since then, the university has built a nationally recognized research park, housing over 50 companies and employing nearly 14,000 Utahns.
After decades of cooperative engagement between the university and the federal government, BLM has recently questioned whether the long-standing activities at Research Park are consistent with the original land patent under the R&PP Act. The University of Utah Research Park Act resolves that uncertainty by confirming that the development and operation of a university research park is a valid public purpose under the Act.
The legislation builds on previous versions negotiated with the Department of the Interior and is supported by the University of Utah and passed unanimously out of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources last Congress, with a technical revision to ensure flexibility in land use as authorized.
Background:
- In 1968, BLM issued a land patent to the University of Utah for undeveloped tracts of the Fort Douglas Military Reservation.
- The land was conveyed under the R&PP Act, which allows for public use of federal land for education, recreation, and other purposes.
- Recent concerns raised by BLM threatened to call into question the university's ongoing use of the land for a research park.
- The University of Utah Research Park Act affirms the university's activities are valid and consistent with the original public purpose of the conveyance.
The bill text can be found on Congress.gov.
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