But that proposal is seen by Republican leaders as an appeasement to Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson and environmental groups that sued to block Legacy in the first place and, as House Speaker Greg Curtis said, will never fly with the GOP caucus.

The key deal maker in the private negotiations involving the 900 South rail line is lobbyist Doug Foxley, who is acting as a representative of Union Pacific, one of his longtime clients, but is working on behalf of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

Huntsman reportedly needs the 19 Democrats in the House for the settlement to pass because the Republican Caucus is split. House Republicans from Weber and Davis counties should support the settlement to get the highway built because those counties desperately need a transportation alternative into Salt Lake County.

But many Republicans say a compromise settlement with the plaintiffs whose federal lawsuit blocked construction of the highway would be like dealing with terrorists.

And House leaders say even the Republicans from the north, whose communities would most benefit from Legacy, would be loath to make a deal to help Anderson.

The House Democrats initially voted unanimously in their caucus to oppose the settlement because they had not been consulted before Huntsman announced publicly a deal had been reached.

But Foxley, who is not being paid by the state to lobby the issue, approached the Democrats with an offer of a $3 million state subsidy to the multi-million-dollar project to reconstruct the rail lines on the west side of Salt Lake City and eliminate the 900 South line.

Most of the project would be paid for by Union Pacific, the Utah Transit Authority and Salt Lake City.

It takes 38 votes to pass the House. Republican leaders say they have between 33 and 35 votes. Every House member from Salt Lake City is a Democrat and the Democrats so far appear to be a united bloc on the Legacy vote one way or another. So if the Democrats require the state subsidy to eliminate the rail line in order to vote for the settlement and most Republicans remain steadfastly against the idea of bartering with Salt Lake City to get Democratic approval, the Legacy settlement could be in trouble.

Meanwhile: Some legislators learned during interim-committee day Wednesday that one of the plaintiffs' requirements for agreeing to the settlement is now being reinterpreted.

The settlement, among other things, bans billboards on the Legacy Parkway.

But UDOT's new interpretation is that the complete ban only applies to the west side of the highway. The municipalities through which Legacy passes could allow billboards on the east side of the road within their respective boundaries.

That new interpretation was discussed after representatives of Reagan Sign Co., a heavy campaign contributor to many elected officials, were seen meeting at the Governor's Office and at the Legislature this week.

prolly@sltrib.com