“It’s official. Lt. Governor Greg Bell is making a visit to the Basin on Sept. 22,” announced Senator Kevin Van Tassell. “It will be a busy day with meetings being held across the Basin, but it will be a productive one as he becomes more familiar with the Basin.”

The day will start early for Bell as he begins his Basin road trip with a breakfast meeting in Heber. From there he will meet with elected officials in Duchesne in the morning and in Roosevelt over lunch.

Bell will also meet with Tribal leadership early afternoon and with Uintah and Daggett County leaders in Vernal at 4 p.m., and with the general public at 6:30 at a meet and greet meeting scheduled at the new UBATC/USU building on 500 north. He is scheduled to say a few words at 8 p.m. that night. The public is invited to attend.

Both Van Tassell and Rep. John Mathis agreed that the reason for the trip to the Basin is to give the Lt. Governor a better understanding of such issues as land use and accessibility.

“We want him to have a better understanding of our relationship as well as the state’s relationship with oil and gas producers and how their economy impacts us and the state,” explained Van Tassell.

There is also the need to understand the Basin’s need for good roads and better accessibility.

Van Tassell also said they would be discussing education issues as well as natural gas vehicles and the need for local filling stations. Also, there are still some “choke” points on highway 40 that need to be addressed by the state that will be brought to his attention as he travels through the area.