State lawmakers depart on bus trip through rural Utah

Nearly all the state’s 104 lawmakers hit the road Wednesday for a two-day trip through rural Utah, where legislators decked out in jeans and sneakers visited rural schools, red rock parks and energy development projects.

The bus trip wound through central and eastern Utah as local officials in towns such as Price and Moab hopped aboard to speak to lawmakers about issues including education, energy production, tourism and public lands.

Lawmakers used to take yearly tours to far-flung parts of the state, but they stopped when the recession hit in 2008. With the economy improving, legislators decided last year to reinstate the trips to get a firsthand look at outlying areas.

“You get out into rural Utah, they have different needs, different issues, different concerns,” said Rep. Jim Dunningan, R-Taylorsville, the House majority leader who helped organize the trip. “I think this is very valuable.”

On Wednesday’s drive to Price, Utah, lawmakers watched a video produced by the Utah Mining Association touting the economic benefits of mining. They then drove past a decommissioned coal-fired power plant in Helper, Utah. The 60-year-old facility was shuttered this year as stricter federal rules on mercury pollution took effect.

Lawmakers toured a new multi-use building at Utah State University Eastern campus in Price, Utah, where they heard from several speakers, including John Siegel, chairman of the board of coal producer Bowie Resource Partners, who then presented a $300,000 donation to the university.

In Green River, lawmakers stopped at the local high school to hear about high turnover among rural school teachers and other challenges. They then headed off for a short trip to Dead Horse State Park near Moab and an evening cookout at a lodge on the banks of the Colorado River.

Lawmakers were shuttled around by three buses, where they heard from rural mayors, county officials and representatives from tourism and energy extraction industries. No official votes or other action will happen on the trip.

Matt Pacenza with the environmental group HEAL Utah said he hopes lawmakers use future trips to learn more about renewable energy sources like wind and solar. “It is disheartening that Utah’s elected officials tend to focus on fighting for the dirty energy that powered the past, rather than the clean energy that will power our future,” Pacenza said in a statement.

The agenda and speakers for the tour were selected by legislative leaders and the Utah Tourism Industry Association, which represents the tourism businesses and groups, Southern Utah University’s Utah Center for Rural Life, and a board within the governor’s office that works on rural economic development issues.

Nan Groves Anderson, the executive director of the tourism industry association, said environmental groups weren’t purposely omitted but the trip has a heavy emphasis on economic development, and tourism and energy development are two big industries east-central Utah.

The Legislature is paying about $70,000 for the two-day excursion, which includes an overnight stay at several Moab hotels.

The 19 senators and 62 House representatives on the trip are expected to return to Salt Lake City on Thursday night.

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