After a whirlwind 7 weeks, the Utah 2023 Legislative Session is over and lawmakers are left to catch their breath. Representative Scott Chew shared some highlights from the session with Evans Family Media. First, Chew emphasized his and others ongoing efforts to clarify misconceptions about the oilfield and educate other lawmakers on just how environmentally conscious the companies, counties, and municipalities actually are. Representative Chew emphasized the significance of several bills. HB319 renewed funding to the Bingham Research Center which performs the Uintah Basin air quality testing and research. A major win was SB94 sponsored by Senator Winterton that allows the CIB to allocate severance tax money back to the communities of origin. This will especially benefit Duchesne County, helping with impact mitigation. SB219 passed making it illegal to trespass and gather information using drones. This Criminal Privacy bill was brought about in response to incidents at Skinwalker Ranch where people would fly drones over the Ranch and then leave ransom notes for the footage. Representative Chew also emphasized his support for the $88.5 million dollars allocated for US-191 Indian Canyon safety improvements. Of course there were more bills of importance but Representative Chew also made note that he advocates restricting the number of pieces of legislation introduced each year as he said there are bills that are redundant and just not necessary. Finally, he thanked his constituents who contacted him about matters of concern to the Uintah Basin as well as for the help from the Vernal Chamber Legislative Issues Committee.
