stefan
02-16-2009, 08:09 AM
while i realize this would be considered enviro forum material, i figured this was of interest to everyone who drives in the great state of utah.
here's a link to the bill referred to in the editorial and news pieces below. personally i have zero trust in the utah government not to exploit this legislation, even if it's only intended to affect a sign in vernal.
http://le.utah.gov/~2009/htmdoc/hbillhtm/HB0272.htm
Keep byways scenic
Billboard bill would despoil beauty
Tribune Editorial
Sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone. But try to tell that to some members of the Utah Legislature.
At least one lawmaker apparently can't stand it that there is one pie left in the state that he and his colleagues can't stick their fingers into. Despite the fact that the state Scenic Byway Committee has done well for years nominating highways and roads to be recognized for their scenic and historic value, Rep. Christopher Herrod, R-Provo, wants the Legislature to take over the job.
His House Bill 272 would give the Legislature authority to approve all "scenic highway" and "scenic byway" designations, instead of allowing the decisions to be made, as they are now, by an informed and unbiased committee. And he wants these state treasures to be chopped into sections, so that "nonscenic" sections can be littered with billboards and other commercial ventures.
This bill would be devastating for scenic highways all over the state, but would especially impact Legacy Parkway, the showpiece of Utah's highway system. The 14-mile-long road is a product of 13 years of planning and legal wrangling. Finally completed last year at a cost of $49 million per mile, the four-lane parkway is a lovely example of what can be accomplished when highway designers, environmental groups and government finally agree.
It is not only a much-needed route for commuters from Davis County and farther north to drive to Salt Lake City and back, but it also offers a unique driving experience, skirting a massive nature preserve within the Great Salt Lake wetlands and running parallel to cycling and pedestrian trails.
Its 55-mph speed limit reduces noice and pollution, and heavy trucks cannot use it. In short, it is a thing of beauty.
But Herrod's legislation would allow all that to be ruined by miles of ugly billboards, distracting drivers from the scenery and obstructing their views of open country and mountain peaks.
Several northern Utah cities support turning Legacy Parkway into a National Scenic Byway. The designation would make Legacy eligible to receive Federal Highway Administration funds for things like informational kiosks, maps and trailhead displays. It would be only the seventh National Scenic Byway in Utah and it well-deserves the designation.
The sight pollution of billboards does not belong on Legacy, nor on any other scenic road in Utah.
Chamber concerned over scenic byway oversight
KSL 5
By Andrew Adams
A bill on Utah's Capitol Hill that some fear could end up jeopardizing Legacy Parkway's scenic byway status is causing consternation in Davis County.
House Bill 272 gives the state control to designate byways, removing the power from local governments. Some leaders in the county fear the bill may ultimately lead to billboard signs ending up next to the parkway. That may be enough cause to lose the byway status.
"This bill causes us great concern, as well as others who have scenic byways," Kaysville Mayor Neka Roundy tells the Davis County Clipper. "This bill affects official oversight. It says the state takes control of the scenic byway instead of local officials. One of the problems is they could decide that an area is non-scenic and allow outdoor advertising along the scenic byway."
The Davis Chamber Legislative Affairs Committee is considering lobbying against the bill. There's worry among some on the committee, though, about lobbying against a bill that one of its member businesses, Reagan Outdoor Advertising, supports.
Committee member Todd Weiler is taking a wait-and-see approach. He's undecided. "I would like to hear a presentation from the company before we decide," Weiler says.
Morgan Philpot, Reagan Outdoor Advertising legal counsel and government affairs director says while the company backs HB 272, it has no plans to plant signs along Legacy Parkway.
Philpot says the company's motivation for supporting the measure is a dispute over one of its signs next to a scenic byway in Vernal. He says the company would like to move it, and the property owner would like to develop the land it's on -- but all hands are tied because of the current law.
"It was never our intention in supporting this bill to put signs up, except to fix our situation in Vernal," Philpot says.
here's a link to the bill referred to in the editorial and news pieces below. personally i have zero trust in the utah government not to exploit this legislation, even if it's only intended to affect a sign in vernal.
http://le.utah.gov/~2009/htmdoc/hbillhtm/HB0272.htm
Keep byways scenic
Billboard bill would despoil beauty
Tribune Editorial
Sometimes it's best to leave well enough alone. But try to tell that to some members of the Utah Legislature.
At least one lawmaker apparently can't stand it that there is one pie left in the state that he and his colleagues can't stick their fingers into. Despite the fact that the state Scenic Byway Committee has done well for years nominating highways and roads to be recognized for their scenic and historic value, Rep. Christopher Herrod, R-Provo, wants the Legislature to take over the job.
His House Bill 272 would give the Legislature authority to approve all "scenic highway" and "scenic byway" designations, instead of allowing the decisions to be made, as they are now, by an informed and unbiased committee. And he wants these state treasures to be chopped into sections, so that "nonscenic" sections can be littered with billboards and other commercial ventures.
This bill would be devastating for scenic highways all over the state, but would especially impact Legacy Parkway, the showpiece of Utah's highway system. The 14-mile-long road is a product of 13 years of planning and legal wrangling. Finally completed last year at a cost of $49 million per mile, the four-lane parkway is a lovely example of what can be accomplished when highway designers, environmental groups and government finally agree.
It is not only a much-needed route for commuters from Davis County and farther north to drive to Salt Lake City and back, but it also offers a unique driving experience, skirting a massive nature preserve within the Great Salt Lake wetlands and running parallel to cycling and pedestrian trails.
Its 55-mph speed limit reduces noice and pollution, and heavy trucks cannot use it. In short, it is a thing of beauty.
But Herrod's legislation would allow all that to be ruined by miles of ugly billboards, distracting drivers from the scenery and obstructing their views of open country and mountain peaks.
Several northern Utah cities support turning Legacy Parkway into a National Scenic Byway. The designation would make Legacy eligible to receive Federal Highway Administration funds for things like informational kiosks, maps and trailhead displays. It would be only the seventh National Scenic Byway in Utah and it well-deserves the designation.
The sight pollution of billboards does not belong on Legacy, nor on any other scenic road in Utah.
Chamber concerned over scenic byway oversight
KSL 5
By Andrew Adams
A bill on Utah's Capitol Hill that some fear could end up jeopardizing Legacy Parkway's scenic byway status is causing consternation in Davis County.
House Bill 272 gives the state control to designate byways, removing the power from local governments. Some leaders in the county fear the bill may ultimately lead to billboard signs ending up next to the parkway. That may be enough cause to lose the byway status.
"This bill causes us great concern, as well as others who have scenic byways," Kaysville Mayor Neka Roundy tells the Davis County Clipper. "This bill affects official oversight. It says the state takes control of the scenic byway instead of local officials. One of the problems is they could decide that an area is non-scenic and allow outdoor advertising along the scenic byway."
The Davis Chamber Legislative Affairs Committee is considering lobbying against the bill. There's worry among some on the committee, though, about lobbying against a bill that one of its member businesses, Reagan Outdoor Advertising, supports.
Committee member Todd Weiler is taking a wait-and-see approach. He's undecided. "I would like to hear a presentation from the company before we decide," Weiler says.
Morgan Philpot, Reagan Outdoor Advertising legal counsel and government affairs director says while the company backs HB 272, it has no plans to plant signs along Legacy Parkway.
Philpot says the company's motivation for supporting the measure is a dispute over one of its signs next to a scenic byway in Vernal. He says the company would like to move it, and the property owner would like to develop the land it's on -- but all hands are tied because of the current law.
"It was never our intention in supporting this bill to put signs up, except to fix our situation in Vernal," Philpot says.