Under SB144, the Legislature would have to approve any interstate agreements signed with other states.

Sen. Scott Jenkins, R-Plain City, said the bill isn't a specific response to Huntsman's actions on climate change, although Jenkins has been a voice of skepticism in the past. He wanted to make sure the Legislature has a say before binding deals are signed.

"You take the Western Climate Initiative. If you wanted to overturn that right now, I'm not sure how you'd do that," Jenkins said. "I didn't even care that he signed that. But it brought to the point that he had the right to do that and bind us without our approval."

Lisa Roskelley, a spokeswoman for Huntsman, said the Governor's Office is aware of the legislation and will meet with Jenkins to better understand his concerns and see if they can be addressed as the bill moves forward.

The governor has recently entered into the climate change initiative, an agreement with Nevada to improve rangelands and prevent wildfire, and a compact to cap the volume of low-level nuclear waste at EnergySolutions' dump in Clive, Utah.

The Senate Government Operations Committee approved the bill Tuesday, moving it to the full Senate for a vote.

Sen. Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake City, who voted against the bill, said the Legislature can undo any agreement signed by the governor, or simply not provide funding to implement the compacts.

"The purse is an adequate safeguard," said Romero.

Richard North, with the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, said the Legislature has a powerful hand to play in the process.

"[The governor] can sign those acts, but they become symbolic unless the Legislature" appropriates money, North said. "You may not be at the table, but ultimately it's your table."

"People ask, 'Are you mad at the governor? Has he done something wrong here?' Well, no. But this has become kind of a fashionable thing across the country," Jenkins said. "There's nothing wrong with what's been done in the past. This is about what should be done in the future."

He said such deals as water compacts, for example, have broad ramifications that legislators should be involved in.

"As a legislator I don't want our side of the process being circumvented," said Jenkins. "I don't necessarily want to tie his hands. . . . It should have to come back here for approval."