A Montana-based conservation group says Noel’s ownership of a 40-acre parcel within the original boundaries of the larger monument represents a conflict of interest that he obscured from the public by not listing the name of Noel’s land company on documents each lawmaker must file at the beginning of legislative sessions.
Noel advocated for shrinking the monument, and even sponsored a resolution in 2017 calling on Utah’s congressional delegation to support shrinking the monument, which the president did in December after months of speculation.
Meanwhile, he had hundreds of acres of farmland near the monument and the parcel within, all owned by a company he didn’t list by its registered name on conflict of interest forms.