VERNAL — Utah's governor has told Duchesne and Uintah county commissioners he supports their bid for legislation that would return millions of dollars in severance taxes to the Uinta Basin and other oil and gas producing counties.
In less than a year, commissioners should know for certain if Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. means what he says.
On the heels of last month's failed bid to move a severance tax bill through the Utah Senate, county commissioners from the Basin aren't wasting time in moving forward with plans to put another measure in front of lawmakers in 2006.
"We are going again. We have begun the process now. We have built a coalition of counties, industry and legislators to run the bill again in the next (2006) session," said Duchesne County Commission chairman Larry Ross. "We believe the bill will be identified as very helpful to rural counties and citizens."
"We met with Gov. Huntsman, and he indicated he was very supportive of what we are trying to do," said Uintah County Commissioner Mike McKee. "He said it went right along with his plans for rural Utah."
SB63, sponsored by Sen. Beverly Evans, R-Altamont, was "very straight forward," according to McKee. The 2005 legislation sought the return of 25 percent of severance tax revenue collected by the state to counties where the oil or gas was produced. The remainder of the revenue would continue to go into the state's general fund.