A state lawmaker wants to name a highway in southern Utah after President Donald Trump.

A biker rides along State Route 12 in Southern Utah. (Mark Davis/Las Vegas Review-Journal)

SALT LAKE CITY — A state lawmaker wants to name a highway in southern Utah after President Donald Trump.

The Salt Lake Tribune reports Republican Rep. Mike Noel proposed the idea Thursday, in part to thank Trump for shrinking two national monuments that he and other state leaders opposed.

Trump’s move infuriated Native American tribes and environmentalists who say in it stripped important protections for natural and archaeological resources. Several groups are suing.

Noel says Trump got a bad rap and he’s actually sincere about wanting to protect public land while still allowing people to do things like graze cattle and cut wood there.

The proposed Trump highway would replace the Utah National Parks Highway, which includes sections of U.S. 89, I-15, state Route 191 as well as part of southern Utah roads.

The highway connects national parks such as Zion, Arches and Bryce.

If the bill passes, the new Donald J. Trump National Parks Highway would appear on road signs and maps.