A recent land sale near the Provo airport was blocked after it was discovered that the purchasing company was linked to the Chinese government.

Utah

Utah officials, including Governor Spencer Cox, have enacted laws preventing companies connected to adversarial foreign governments from purchasing land in the state. A recent attempted land purchase near the Provo Airport by a company linked to the Chinese government was blocked under these new regulations. The laws also require restricted nations that already own land in Utah to divest their holdings, with the state estimating that most of the 35,000 acres previously owned by Chinese-linked entities have now been sold. Additional measures have been implemented to block land purchases near military installations and restrict certain services near sensitive sites, all in the interest of national security. State leaders have indicated plans for further legislation, including assessments of vulnerabilities in Utah's water system.

Utah forces China and linked companies to sell land

Governor Spencer Cox and members of the Utah legislature are talking tough about China. Their proposed investment in Utah was millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs, and I don't care. We are not for sale. I'm Ben Winslow in Palmyra. Here on this farm, the governor held a news conference where he expressed support for new laws that block hostile foreign governments from purchasing land here in Utah. Something that we need to protect our land and keep it for growing crops. Susan Sorensen is part of a fifth-generation farming family. She hosted Governor Spencer Cox and members of the Utah legislature on Tuesday, where he accused the Chinese government and proxy companies of trying to purchase farmland in Utah. We will not allow adversarial foreign entities to buy up strategic land in our state. Recently, a sale near the Provo Airport was blocked by a new state law banning some nations considered adversarial to the U.S. from owning land in Utah. It was a company that makes airplanes and drones, the governor says, with links to the Chinese government. Not only is it working, it's the only place where it's working right now. We are the first state to do this. Representative Candace Perucci sponsored that law. It's exciting to see that we stopped a transaction from happening right by the Provo Airport, and that's a direct result of the law. Utah's laws don't stop there. They require restricted nations that do own land to sell it. The state estimates 35,000 acres of farmland was owned by the Chinese government or proxy companies, and most of it has now been divested. The Utah legislature also has passed laws blocking land purchases near military installations, even blocking food delivery services from sensitive sites in the name of national security. Utah sits at the nexus of national security with all of the entities that we have, the Proving Ground, 19th Special Forces Group, 47G, we've got the 300th Intel Unit here, NSA Utah, Hill Air Force Base. So there's all this critical military infrastructure here, and we're a very welcoming people here in Utah. And so it makes it really ripe for foreign influence to try and come into this area. But Utah also engages in trade with nations like China. So will this impact that? The governor had this to say. My message is we want to be partners with you, but until you start acting the way that allies and friends should act, that's an impossibility. Again, the impetus is on them. The weight is on them to change the way they're doing business. Well, the governor and the legislature are very happy with how these laws have worked. They're not done yet. Representative Perucci tells me she's planning even more legislation. Obviously, water is a critical resource, and so that's something we're going to be doing an assessment on the vulnerabilities that we have in our water system. In Palmyra, Ben Winslow, Fox 13 News, Utah.

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