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Thomas: Teton land swap no longer tied to Martin's Cove sale

Thomas: Teton land swap no longer tied to Martin's Cove sale




CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., said a threat to hold up a Teton land-swap measure he backs has been dropped by Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah.




Hansen has pushed legislation, controversial in Wyoming, that would transfer ownership of a historic site known as Martin's Cove southwest of Casper to the Mormon church.




And, Thomas said, Hansen threatened to, in the House, block his try at speeding the federal acquisition of two private land sections inside Grand Teton National Park without Thomas' support for the Hansen measure.




That threat was rescinded just after the U.S. House on a voice vote approved Hansen's bill, Thomas said last week.




The Wyoming senator said he does not know why the threat to tie the measures together was dropped. But he said he made clear to Hansen in a telephone conversation that he still would not support the Martin's Cove transfer.




"And he said, 'I understand,"' Thomas told the Casper Star-Tribune.




The Thomas-backed measure has passed the Senate. Known as the Grand Teton National Park Land Exchange Act, it would direct the government to buy from within the park two sections that could be traded for land, resources such as coal leases or cash of equal value.




Hansen's measure is now in the Senate. It directs the government to sell a 900-acre tract to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose officials say Martin's Cove is important to their pioneer heritage.