This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A bill making it easier for property owners to place billboards on certain stretches of designated Scenic Byways in the state flew through committee on Friday with almost no discussion.
Review of HB232, sponsored by Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, took just over two minutes. It was endorsed 3-0 (with three members of the Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee absent) and placed on the Senate consent calendar — meaning it will be subject to an up or down vote without debate.
Noel said the bill simply allows private property owners to bypass the "slow" federal process for segmentation of scenic byways and gives property owners more control over there land along non-scenic stretches of road.
Torrey bed and breakfast owner Ty Markham opposed the bill in a previous committee hearing, according to a KCPW report. The Washington, D.C., group Scenic America also has come out against the measure. Scenic America claims that the bill would remove local oversight and allow billboards virtually upon request of a property owner.
— Mariah Noble