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[Utah Code Table of Contents]
[TITLE 4. Table of Contents]
4-20-1 Title - Definitions.
(1) This chapter is known as the "Rangeland Improvement Act."
(2) As used in this chapter:
(a) "Cooperative weed management association" means a multigovernmental association cooperating together to control noxious weeds in a geographic area that includes some portion of Utah.
(b) "Fees" mean the revenue collected by the United States Secretary of Interior from assessments on livestock using public lands.
(c) "Fund" means the Rangeland Improvement Fund created in Section 4-20-2 .
(d) "Grazing district" means an administrative unit of land:
(i) designated by the commissioner as being valuable for grazing and for raising forage crops; and
(ii) which consists of any combination of the following:
(A) public land;
(B) private land;
(C) state land; and
(D) school and institutional trust land as defined in Section 53C-1-103 .
(e) "Public lands" mean vacant, unappropriated, reserved, and unreserved federal lands.
(f) "Regional board" means a regional grazing advisory board whose members are appointed under Section 4-20-1.6 .
(g) "Sales" or "leases" mean the sale or lease, respectively, of isolated or disconnected tracts of public lands by the United States Secretary of Interior.
(h) "State board" means the State Grazing Advisory Board
created under Section
4-20-1.5
.
2006
4-20-1.5 State Grazing Advisory Board - Duties.
(1) (a) There is created within the department the State Grazing Advisory Board.
(b) The commissioner shall appoint the following members:
(i) one member from each regional board;
(ii) one member from the Soil Conservation Commission created in Section 4-18-4 ;
(iii) one representative of the Department of Natural Resources;
(iv) two livestock producers at-large; and
(v) one representative of the oil, gas, or mining industry.
(2) The term of office for a state board member is four years.
(3) Members of the state board shall elect a chair, who shall serve for two years.
(4) (a) (i) Members who are not government employees of the state or local government shall receive no compensation or benefits for their services, but may receive per diem and expenses incurred in the performance of the member's official duties at the rates established by the Division of Finance under Sections 63A-3-106 and 63A-3-107 .
(ii) Members may decline to receive per diem and expenses for their service.
(b) (i) State government officer and employee members who do not receive salary, per diem, or expenses from their agency for their service may receive per diem and expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties from the board at the rates established by the Division of Finance under Sections 63A-3-106 and 63A-3-107 .
(ii) State government officer and employee members may decline to receive per diem and expenses for their service.
(c) (i) Local government members who do not receive salary, per diem, or expenses from the entity that they represent for their service may receive per diem and expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties at the rates established by the Division of Finance under Sections 63A-3-106 and 63A-3-107 .
(ii) Local government members may decline to receive per diem and expenses for their service.
(5) The state board shall:
(a) receive:
(i) advice and recommendations from a regional board concerning:
(A) management plans for public lands, state lands, and school and institutional trust lands as defined in Section 53C-1-103 , within the regional board's region; and
(B) any issue that impacts grazing on private lands, public lands, state lands, or school and institutional trust lands as defined in Section 53C-1-103 , in its region; and
(ii) requests for fund monies from the entities described in Subsections (5)(c)(i) through (iv);
(b) recommend state policy positions and cooperative agency participation in federal and state land management plans to the department and to the Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office created under Section 63-38d-602 ; and
(c) advise the department on the requests and recommendations of:
(i) regional boards;
(ii) county weed control boards created under Section 4-17-4 ;
(iii) cooperative weed management associations; and
(iv) soil conservation districts created under the authority
of Title 17A, Chapter 3, Part 8, Soil Conservation Districts.
2006
4-20-1.6 Regional Grazing Advisory Boards - Duties.
(1) The commissioner shall appoint members to a regional board for each grazing district from nominations submitted by:
(a) the Utah Cattlemen's Association;
(b) the Utah Woolgrower's Association;
(c) the Utah Farm Bureau Federation; and
(d) a soil conservation district, if the soil conservation district's boundaries include some portion of the grazing district.
(2) Regional boards:
(a) shall provide advice and recommendations to the state board; and
(b) may receive monies from the Rangeland Improvement
Fund created in Section
4-20-2
.
2006
4-20-2 Rangeland Improvement Fund - Administered by department.
(1) (a) There is created a restricted special revenue fund known as the "Rangeland Improvement Fund."
(b) The fund shall consist of:
(i) all monies received by the state from the United States Secretary of Interior under the Taylor Grazing Act, 43 U.S.C. Section 315 et seq., for sales, leases, and fees;
(ii) grants or appropriations from the state or federal government;
(iii) grants from private foundations; and
(iv) interest on fund monies.
(2) Any unallocated balance in the fund at the end of a fiscal year is nonlapsing.
(3) The department shall:
(a) administer the fund;
(b) obtain from the United States Department of Interior the receipts collected from:
(i) fees in each grazing district; and
(ii) the receipts collected from the sale or lease of public lands; and
(c) distribute fund monies in accordance with Section
4-20-3
.
2006
4-20-3 Rangeland Improvement Fund distribution.
(1) The department shall distribute fund monies as provided in this section.
(a) The department shall:
(i) distribute pro rata to each school district the monies received by the state under Subsection 4-20-2 (1)(b)(i) from the sale or lease of public lands based upon the amount of revenue generated from the sale or lease of public lands within the district; and
(ii) ensure that all monies generated from the sale or lease of public lands within a school district are credited and deposited to the general school fund of that school district.
(b) (i) After the commissioner approves a request from a regional board, the department shall distribute pro rata to each regional board monies received by the state under Subsection 4-20-2 (1)(b)(i) from fees based upon the amount of revenue generated from the imposition of fees within that grazing district.
(ii) The regional board shall expend monies received in accordance with Subsection (2).
(c) (i) The department shall distribute or expend monies received by the state under Subsections 4-20-2 (1)(b)(ii) through (iv) for the purposes outlined in Subsection (2).
(ii) The department may require entities seeking funding from sources outlined in Subsections 4-20-2 (1)(b)(ii) through (iv) to provide matching funds.
(2) The department shall ensure that fund distributions or expenditures under Subsections (1)(b) and (c) are used for:
(a) range improvement and maintenance;
(b) the control of predatory and depredating animals;
(c) the control, management, or extermination of invading species, range damaging organisms, and poisonous or noxious weeds;
(d) the purchase or lease of lands for the benefit of a grazing district;
(e) watershed protection, development, distribution, and improvement; and
(f) the general welfare of livestock grazing within a
grazing district.
2006
4-20-8 Audit of grazing districts - State auditor to coordinate with Department of Interior in conduct of audit.
The state auditor is authorized to coordinate with the
Department of Interior in auditing the books of the several
advisory boards.
1979
4-20-9 Commission to supervise distribution of undistributed funds if United States alters or discontinues funding leaving funds or resources available.
If the United States alters or discontinues funding under
the Taylor Grazing Act or the operation of advisory boards,
leaving funds or other resources undistributed or otherwise
without means for continuation, the commissioner shall supervise
and control the distribution of such undistributed funds
or other resources.
1979
