Press Releases

This week, Reps. Celeste Maloy (R-UT), Ed Case (D-HI), and John Curtis (R-UT) introduced the Public Land Search and Rescue Act, legislation that would establish a grant program to assist states with the costs of search and rescue activities on federal land under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The program is intended to help with “remote search and rescue.” This includes any activity that utilizes, trains, or supports responders with specialized equipment to locate, assist, and remove to safety individuals who are lost, injured, stranded, or entrapped in remote areas as well as recover deceased individuals. Rural counties with low populations and high visitation numbers are burdened with frequent remote search-and-rescue operations despite low tax bases to cover the costs.

“Utah is renowned for its recreation and exploration opportunities across its millions of acres of wilderness. But sometimes people get injured, lost, or stranded in these remote, federal lands, and it’s our local communities who are footing the bill and putting their lives on the line to conduct search and rescue operations. This legislation will help law enforcement bear the costs of critical equipment and resources needed to save lives,” said Rep. Maloy.

“Even seasoned hikers can lose their way and end up lost or hurt in our national parks and other public lands,” said Rep. Case. “In my state of Hawai‘i, there has been a critical need for resources to conduct search and rescue operations at Hawai‘i Volcanoes and Haleakalā National Parks, which draw millions of visitors each year. Since 2011, our mostly county emergency personnel have responded to close to 200 emergencies at Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park on the Island of Hawai‘i, and at Haleakalā National Park on the island of Maui, they have had to handle 205 search and rescue cases. These are national parks, and this responsibility should not be shouldered and paid for exclusively by state and local governments. Our legislation will fairly help reimburse agencies in Hawai‘i and across the nation for the costs they bear to prepare for and to conduct search and rescue on our federal lands.”

“Utah is a great place for recreation and exploration in our vast wilderness areas,” said Rep. Curtis. “With so much of the state federally managed, the onus falls onto our local towns and sheriffs when it comes to search and rescue. This bill represents a critical step forward in ensuring that our first responders have the necessary resources to keep up with the growing demand for rescue operations on federal lands,” said Rep. Curtis.

“One of the most positive trends in our great nation is that we are seeing an increased public desire to travel and explore some of the spectacular natural wonders. Changes in the way we consume media has caused visitation on public lands to increase significantly, placing a strain on local resources,” said Kane County Sheriff Tracy Glover. “Western sheriffs are being tasked with higher call volumes for lost or injured visitors. Many of these frantic calls come from some of the most remote areas of federally managed lands including those administered by the US Forest Service, National Park Service, and BLM. All too often, the most desirable areas of visitation are located in the most remote and sparsely populated areas leaving underfunded rural county sheriffs with the financial burden. In many cases, counties with only a few thousand residents are hosting millions of annual visitors. The rescues are often technical in nature and require unique and expensive resources, training, and equipment such as off-highway vehicles, boats and helicopters. I know I can speak for sheriffs across the west who are grateful that Congresswoman Maloy has studied this issue and identified the pressing need for a cooperative local/federal partnership related to Search and Rescue. This bill will undoubtedly help to save lives."

“The twenty-nine sheriffs in the State of Utah are solely responsible for all search and rescue operations in their county, per Utah law,” said Washington County Sheriff Nate Brooksby. “Washington County has some of the most rugged terrain in the state, including Zion National Park. Zion National Park visitors have increased rapidly over the last several years and they reported just over three million visitors in 2023. In the last several years, our search and rescue calls have increased by up to 30%. Washington County and the State of Utah cover all costs associated with search and rescue operations. Even though, over 90% of our calls are on BLM or Forest Service land. Purchasing technical rescue equipment such as ATVs, boats, dive gear, radios, and medical supplies places a large financial burden on our local governments. Grants from the federal government would help offset some of those costs.”

“When the world wants to get outdoors and recreate, they come to amazing rural Utah. There are times when accidents happen, or recreators are not prepared for the extreme conditions in the backcountry, and Search and Rescue is needed. In the rural backcountry it doesn't take long to deplete the few resources we do have. Rural counties do not have large budgets nor ways to recoup many of the costs incurred for rescues, especially extended searches and highly technical rescues. Through fundraising, donations, and the backs of the great volunteers we do the best we can. With the passage of this bill we can help make those few dollars go further and increase the chances of better outcomes for those who need rescue in the back country, and give the tools needed to better effect those rescues," said Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis.

The grants are awarded on a 75/25 cost-share basis, meaning the grant can cover up to 75% of equipment costs and the grantee will need to cover 25%. A cost-share ensures that the federal government is helping states and counties foot the bill for remote search-and-rescue operations on federal land, providing local law enforcement with much-needed relief. 


You can read the full text of the legislation here.