Secure Rural Schools The Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program is extremely important to Utahns.

. PILT funding is directed toward rural western states with large portions of federally-owned land. It helps many counties around Utah provide essential services to citizens, including the important Secure Rural Schools initiative. With the challenges related to the federal budget and our economy overall, Secure Rural Schools is in danger of being put on the chopping block. As Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Hatch will ensure that this vital program is funded and that schools in Utahs rural counties are able to keep their doors open.

Wolves Last year, Senator Hatch and others accomplished the impossible: delisting the gray wolf. While the wolf hasnt been delisted nationwide, the states have garnered a significant amount of area throughout Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah in which they are now able to manage wolf populations. Senator Hatch has also introduced the American Big Game and Livestock Protection Act (S.249), which would finally remove Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections nationwide for gray wolves that have been in place since 1972. Washington needs to get out of the way of how states control wolf populations, Senator Hatch said. Bureaucrats in Washington dont understand the kind of impact the wolf has in Utah and throughout the West.

Prairie Dogs Currently, the Fish and Wildlife Service is permitted to remove prairie dogs only from agricultural areas. However, the animals have done extensive damage to areas not designated as agricultural, such as the Parowan Airports runway and the Paragonah Cemetery in Iron County. As a result, Senator Hatch joined with the rest of our delegation in introducing the Protecting Public Safety and Sacred Sites from the Utah Prairie Dog Act. The legislation grants the Fish and Wildlife Service the ability to remove prairie dogs from airports and cemeteries that are located within the range of the Utah Prairie Dog.

Scofield Land Transfer Act U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee introduced legislation that allows for the transfer of ownership of certain federal lands surrounding the Scofield Reservoir in Carbon County. Within the last few years it has been discovered that dozens of homes around the Reservoir are encroaching on land owned by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (BOR), meaning that homeowners do not own the land underneath their homes. The legislation allows the homeowners to purchase the land from the Bureau.

Access to Public Lands Senator Hatch announced that he will lead the Senate Western Caucuss Subcommittee on Public Lands. Caucus Chairman Sen. John Barrasso asked Hatch to lead the Subcommittee due to Hatchs deep interest and long-time involvement in lands-related issues. Furthermore, Senator Hatch intends to use this position to increase access to natural resources such as oil, gas and minerals on the public lands, ensure that the existing transportation infrastructure in place in Utah and across the West remains open and accessible to the public, and to prevent the administration from obstructing access to the federal lands in Utah.

National Monuments Along with seven other Republican senators, Senator Hatch introduced a bill aimed at bringing more transparency and accountability to the process of creating national monuments. The National Monument Designation Transparency and Accountability Act would require Congress to approve of national monuments before such designations become permanent. If the bill is enacted, it would require congressional approval within two years of an Executive Order seeking a monument designation. Should the two years elapse without the approval, the land returns to its original status. The legislation also calls for the President to provide Congress with information about the creation of a monument 30 days prior to any such designation.

Wild Lands Reversal The Wild Lands order would have allowed Washington to take millions of more acres of land throughout the state without any consultation from Congress. Senator Hatch worked with other key elected officials in reversing this order and thanked Rep. Rob Bishop (R-Utah) for his role in getting it defunded.

Facilitating Energy Development - Greater Natural Buttes field Continuously helping to get this country energy independent, Senator Hatch played a key role in encouraging the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reach agreement on a proposal that would allow for the development of 3,675 natural gas wells and the creation of more than 2,500 jobs in the Uintah Basin.