But Zavadil said Utah will benefit from royalties and a severance tax on whatever Barrett makes from its expanded Tavaputs project, which may net the state in the range of $100 million a year over the life of the project.

Sen. Margaret Dayton, R-Orem, said people should be less concerned about dust that always naturally blows around in the canyon and focus more on not "empowering foreign nations" by standing in the way of developing natural resources.

Rep. Michael Noel, R-Kanab, told Zavadil that radical environmental groups tend to stop resource development for fear of its impact on climate change.

When asked by Rep. Sylvia Andersen, R-Sandy, about whether Barrett has done enough to protect Nine Mile Canyon's "archaeological gifts" and meet with the canyon's residents and caretakers, Zavadil said informal talks with groups like the Nine Mile Canyon Coalition have broken down due to lawsuits.

"The act of driving by these (art) resources doesn't impact them," Zavadil said. "It would be nice if we didn't have to use that road altogether."

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com