When it comes to Utah's redistricting process, the proverbial fat lady hasn't sung yet. She is warming up though, and Duchesne County residents are unlikely to appreciate the song she's about to sing.

Last Thursday, a committee of Utah lawmakers that includes Sen. Kevin Van Tassell of Vernal approved minor modifications to a proposal that would divide Duchesne County up among three state House districts.

The proposed map — known as House Base Map 9/22/11 — would split the county as follows:

• Residents living in the communities of Altamont, Altonah, Bluebell, Boneta, Hanna, Monarch, Mountain Home, Tabiona, Talmage and Upalco would be served by a representative whose district also includes Dutch John and Manila in Daggett County; Coalville and Kamas in Summit County; Morgan and Peterson in Morgan County; and Garden City and Randolph in Rich County.

• Residents living in the communities of Duchesne, Fruitland, Myton and Roosevelt would be served by a representative whose district also includes Price and Wellington in Carbon County; Green River in Emery County; and Moab in Grand County.

• Residents living in much of Hancock Cove and all of Neola, along with those living on the north side of U.S. Highway 40 between Roosevelt and Duchesne, would be served by a representative whose district also includes all of Uintah County.

A base map for state House and Senate districts, state school board, and federal House and Senate districts is expected to be approved by the bipartisan Utah Redistricting Committee by Wednesday. These maps will be used to pass the state law that will establish voting districts for the next decade during next week's special session of the Legislature.

“On the floor there can still be amendments and changes, but after taking all of the public input in the summer this (House base map) is the consensus of where we're at,” said Van Tassell, who conceded that the approved map affects Duchesne County “pretty severely.”

There are rarely any clear winners when it comes to redistricting, Van Tassell said. The process is dictated in part by the results of the 2010 Census, which provides lawmakers with information about areas of population growth in the state. Prior federal court rulings also impose limits on how many people each district must have to ensure equal representation.

By law, Utah's current population of nearly 2.8 million people must be divided in such a way that each of the state's 29 Senate districts has about 93,206 people and each of its 75 House districts has about 36,852 people with a variation of no more than 3.5 percent in any district.

Van Tassell said lawmakers have done their best to try to keep communities together, but the legal requirements they're faced with make it impossible in some instances.

“The biggest thing that causes court cases in redistricting is the amount of people that you're off in districts,” he said. “Population variances are the biggest thing we have to work with.”

Former state Rep. Gordon Snow, who served the residents of Duchesne and Wasatch counties from 1999 to 2008, was in office the last time Utah went through the redistricting process. He acknowledged that the task before Van Tassell and his colleagues isn't an easy one, but said he is disappointed by what's expected to happen to his former legislative district.

“I see it mostly as a minus because it never gives us an opportunity to have enough votes to elect someone from Duchesne County,” Snow said.

He called the idea of lumping Duchesne, Myton and Roosevelt with Moab “foolish,” and said Daggett County should remain paired with Uintah County if lawmakers are “really trying to do what's best for the people.”

Snow was part of one of the most well attended hearings the Redistricting Committee held when it traveled the state seeking public comment earlier this year. Those who spoke during the July 26 meeting in Vernal made a concerted effort to educate committee members about the unique issues that face residents of the Uintah Basin, Snow said.

“Most of what was said and presented was completely ignored,” he said.

Rep. Kraig Powell, Snow's successor, stands to see his current House district carved into four pieces if the approved base map remains unchanged. The Republican from Heber City represents Duchesne and Wasatch counties and a small portion of Uintah County.

“I think it's very important that the Uintah Basin have several strong voices at the Legislature,” Powell said, “but it's difficult to make the population requirements mesh with the political and geographical boundaries. … It's not easy to make the numbers match the formula.”

Powell believes there are “natural connections” between the economies in Carbon and Duchesne counties that makes those areas a logical pairing for one person to represent. He also acknowledged that “it's very hard for me to see what the committee has done with this area of the state.”

“But as I've thought about their considerations, you can see that the Uintah Basin itself does not have enough population to equal two House districts,” said Powell, who is uncertain about his own future as a lawmaker.

“I have not decided whether I will be seeking reelection, no matter what the boundaries are in any seat in 2012,” he said Friday. “The Legislature is a very demanding job, especially in Utah, where it is always a second job. With family obligations and work obligations, I'm always struggling as to how to fulfill my legislative duties best.”