Posted: 7:19 AM- WASHINGTON - The House of Representatives approved a major land exchange along the Colorado River on Wednesday, aimed at protecting scenic recreation areas near Moab and giving the state potentially valuable mineral lands.
    Under the deal, the state would give the federal government about 45,000 acres, mostly along the Colorado River, including environmentally sensitive areas near Arches National Park, the Corona natural arch, and portions of the renowned Slickrock and Kokopelli bicycle trail.
    In exchange, the Interior Department would transfer about 40,000 acres, mostly in the Uinta Basin, to the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA). The lands are expected to have natural gas and other development potential that would generate money for Utah's school system.
    "This legislation is the culmination of years of hard work, compromise and determination," Rep. Chris Cannon, the bill's sponsor, said in a statement. "This is an equal value exchange that guarantees that the school children of Utah will finally benefit from lands they own." The legislation is the product of at least three years of discussions between the State trust land administration, the Grand Canyon Trust, and the Interior Department.
    "It really is a tremendous thing for conservation in Southeastern Utah," said Laura Kamala, Utah director for the Grand Canyon Trust. "If this legislation failed then a lot of these lands would end up on the development chopping block and that would fragment the landscape and really change the experience that people have in this country." Under the bill, the federal government will still receive a share of the royalties from oil and gas development on the land the state will be acquiring, but the Interior Department could only use the money to purchase other sensitive lands in the state. The rest of the royalties will go to the state.
    The bill still has to pass the Senate, but Utah members are optimistic they can get it through, likely when Congress returns in November. Assuming it becomes law, title to the lands would change hands within a year.
    "There appears to be pretty much full consensus," said SITLA associate director John Andrews.
    If it passes, the Colorado River exchange would be the first such swap since a 2002 deal between Utah and the federal government fell apart after BLM whistleblowers alleged it would be a $100 million-plus giveaway by the federal government. The deal was scrapped and the appraisal process overhauled.
    Prior land exchanges in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Utah's West Desert have helped consolidate state trust lands and bring more money to Utah's schools, Andrews said. Last year, the state's trust lands generated $161 million.
    The deal was hailed by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Sen. Bob Bennett, who will push the legislation in the Senate.
    gehrke@sltrib.com