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PROVO — A new federal bill has been introduced that aims to restore a 20-year tradition at Kyhv Peak cut short by a federal land policy three years ago.
Rep. John Curtis on Tuesday introduced HR9095, or Star-Spangled Summit Act, that would allow for the American flag to fly atop Kyhv Peak in Utah County. It's a direct response to a tradition that resident Robert Collins led, where he'd summit the mountain each summer and place the U.S. flag atop it — that was until the U.S. Forest Service said it may violate federal land policy.
"Utahns pride themselves on being the most patriotic citizens in the country and it is disappointing that federal policy would hamper such a wholesome local tradition," Curtis said in a statement Friday.
Collins started the tradition two decades ago. Once the winter snow collection melted, he led a group that carried a flag to the mountain east of Provo — renamed to Kyhv Mountain in 2022 — where it was mounted on a temporary flagpole at the top.
The tradition, he said, came with a small ceremony to honor the country, the U.S. Constitution and military veterans. However, the U.S. Forest Service determined in 2021 that it violated a federal policy that prohibits the construction, placement or maintenance of any structure or item on Forest Service land without authorization or an approved operating plan.
The bill that Curtis introduced would change that. It would direct the Secretary of Agriculture to issue a special use permit "to the maintaining of a flagpole bearing the flag of the United States" at Kyhv Peak.
He argues that this wouldn't have happened in a state with less federal land than Utah, which has some of the highest federal land percentages in the nation. He believes something as small as a mountain flagpole would have been determined by local governments in areas with less federal land.
"This is too often the case in Utah where nearly 70% of the land is federally managed," he said. "I am proud to recognize Robert's patriotism and resolve this issue so Utahns can see the stars and stripes on the peak once again."
The bill was sent to the House Committee on Natural Resources this week as it starts its journey through the federal law process. Curtis is also the Republican nominee for Utah's U.S. Senate seat ahead of the November election.
