Congress hands a named individual a free flagpole permit, exempts it from environmental law.
S. 2417 — Star-Spangled Summit Act of 2025 · Filed by John Curtis (R-UT) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Jul 23, 2025 · Hearing held
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What it does
This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to issue a 10-year special use permit allowing Robert S. Collins of Provo, Utah (or a qualified Utah County resident/nonprofit if he declines) to place and maintain a U.S. flagpole at Kyhv Peak Lookout Point in the Uinta National Forest. The permit is free of land-use fees, renewable for successive 10-year periods, and exempt from environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a direct, named grant of a federal permit to a specific person (Robert S. Collins) with no competitive process, environmental review, or fee. The patriotic framing (flagpole, Star-Spangled Summit) masks a straightforward private benefit carved out of public land.
What the text implies
- NEPA exemption removes public notice and environmental impact review for all activities at the site, including placement, maintenance, and removal of the flagpole—setting a precedent for other special-use permits to claim similar exemptions.
- The 'qualified person' fallback definition is broad enough to capture any Utah County nonprofit or volunteer organization, but the bill's primary intent is to benefit Robert S. Collins specifically; the fallback is a legal shield against a direct-naming challenge.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Robert S. Collins (named individual); Utah County nonprofits or volunteer organizations (if Collins declines)