State of Utah School & Institutional Trust Lands Administration BE Sie SESE 67s est 500 sou, suite 500 Gary R. Herbert Salt Lake City, UT 84102-2813 Governor 801-568-5100, 801-355-0922 (Fax) Spencer J. Cox ynwwtrustands.utah gov Lieutenant Governor “MMustand.ulah os Davia Ure November 18, 2016 Director Via Email Mr. David Bernhardt President-Elect Trump Transition Team ~ Interior GSA Building 1800 F. Street, NW Washington, D.C. 20405 Re: — Recommendation for Michael E. Noel ~ Director, Bureau of Land Management Dear Mr. Bernhardt; ‘The Board of Trustees of the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration is pleased to recommend Michael E. Noel for consideration by President-Elect Trump as Director of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, Representative Noel has been the leading conservative voice in Utah public land issues for many years. His long service in the Utah legislature, including chairmanship of the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee, his management experience with a large rural water district in a public lands county, and his prior employment with the BLM, make him an excellent choice for a BLM director who can take necessary steps to bring balance back to federal public land management. The Board of Trustees is the governing board for the Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, which manages 3.2 million acres of lands granted to Utah by Congress at statehood for the financial support of Utah’s K-12 publie schools and other state institutions. Our ‘management of Utah’s school trust lands grant is deeply affected by federal public land policy, and we look forward to working with a Department of the Interior led by people who can change the direction of public lands management back towards BLM’s traditional multiple use mandate. Representative Noel would be a great addition to that “) Sincerely, James M. Lekas Chair UTAH