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SALT LAKE CITY — Well-known and controversial Utah politician Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab, is retiring after 16 years with the Utah Legislature, according to a report by Utah Policy.
One of Noel's most disputed, yet significant, accomplishments was his advocation for the repeal or downsizing of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments.
Noel has served as the chairman of the House Rules Committee for the last several years and is known for his staunch criticism of federal land policies and bureaucrats.
Noel also recently introduced a bill in the Legislature to rename several scenic roads in southern Utah as Donald J. Trump Highway. The legislator pulled the bill after he and his family received several death threats, according to Utah Policy.
Noel says he is retiring for personal, not political reasons, however.
“I have a new wife, a new life. I have 48 grandchildren, and I’m missing their lives," Noel told Utah Policy. "It's been a great ride."
This article will be updated.
