Proposed bill could create San Rafael State Park

By RICHARD SHAW Emery County Progress publisher

A yet unnumbered bill proposed by Rep. Steve Eliason, (R)Utah House of Representatives from district 45 could create a San Rafael State Park. It was announced on Friday morning during the Friday morning Rural Caucus breakfast at the Utah State Capitol.
“I had a constituent complain to me that he couldn’t use his state parks pass at Little Sahara Sand Dunes and I told him that was a federal area and not a state park,” said Rep. Steve Eliason. “That made me start to think about state parks.”
Eliason already has two numbered bills (HB 0223 and HB 0225) which would create Little Sahara State Park and the expansion of Goblin Valley State Park respectively. With those two in the works he began talking about the possibility of another bill to bring about the San Rafael action.
Eliason told the caucus that over the years most of the state parks in Utah (and he listed them) were carved out of federal land and that the state had done that either by getting the feds to sell the land at a low price or by leases, which are in effect for some of the parks.
“I went on a tour, my first one, of the San Rafael Swell recently and it is spectacular,” he said.”It is every bit as wonderful as Zion’s or Bryce Canyon.”
He went on to tell the caucus about the way having these parks could demonstrate how the state can manage public land and that it is something that is wanted by the citizens of the state.
“I understand that the citizens of Emery County would like this to be a conservation area,” he said.
Both Rep. Brad King (D) House District 69 and State Senator David Hinkins (R) District 27 were sitting in on the caucus, and voiced their comments concerning the idea.
“I am not sure this is the way we want to go,” said Hinkins as he addressed Eliason and the rest of the caucus. “Emery’s public lands committee has been working on what to do with the Swell for a long time. I think a move like this could short circuit Bishop’s (U.S. Representative Rob Bishop) Land Bill.”
King said after the meeting that the local representation had not heard anything about the proposed bill until just the day before the caucus meeting.
Hinkins said on Monday that he was perplexed by the fact Eliason was running the bill.
“I don’t know why he wants to do it but I am opposed to it,” said the Senator.
While the other two bills are numbered and being processed there is little information about them. Hinkins said he went on a tour concerning the proposed bill on the expansion of Goblin Valley State Park but that before the end of last week he didn’t know about the San Rafael bill.