The bad news is that the federal government is jettisoning the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Salt Lake Research Center - which studies how to prevent pollution and solve environmental problems besides work its on mining technology.
But the good news is that Congress is allowing the state or the University of Utah to take it over - at no cost for facilities - if they desire.Sen. Bob Bennett, R-Utah, who worked out that deal, said, "It provides more than 115 valuable jobs for people in our state."
The center (and the whole Bureau of Mines) was originally targeted for closure in the House version of this year's Interior appropriations bill. But then Bennett saved some money for the center in the Senate version with the help of White House support.
However, when the White House later withdrew support, a House-Senate conference also dropped funding for the Salt Lake center. Bennett then won approval to allow transfer of it to the state, which he said the state wants if it can work out the details.
Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt wants that, too.
He wrote to Bennett, saying, "I enthusiastically support the proposal to retain this valuable resource in Utah upon the closure of the BOM itself. Moreover, I am committed to assisting the reemployment of the BOM's high caliber technical staff."
Bennett said, "This cooperative effort between the Congress and the administration is an example of how the federal government can responsibly downsize while protecting vital state interests."