SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Spencer Cox and Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson signed a series of bills into law aimed at water conservation and saving the Great Salt Lake.
On Tuesday night, the governor signed 173 bills into law from the 2023 legislative session. But the biggest in the batch were the ones run to protect the lake. They are tied to nearly a half-billion dollars in funding for water conservation measures. The bills include:
- House Bill 491, which creates a "Great Salt Lake Commissioner" to oversee coordinated efforts to save the lake
- House Bill 513 authorizes state agencies to take emergency actions to protect the lake's ecology
- House Bill 349 prohibits future water re-use projects in the Great Salt Lake watershed. While water re-use is beneficial in some places, environmentalists have warned it could steal water from the lake
- Senate Bill 118 expands "turf buyback" programs in Utah, offering more money to get people to ditch their lawns
- Senate Bill 227 authorizes about $200 million for "agriculture optimization," which is technology to help farmers and ranchers grow crops with less water
- House Bill 307 creates "Utah Water Ways," a new public/private partnership to promote water conservation in the state
The governor also signed a major air quality bill that is tied to the Great Salt Lake. House Bill 220 targets U.S. Magnesium. A recent study blamed the company for roughly 25% of the air pollution along the Wasatch Front. The bill allows Utah's Department of Environmental Quality to regulate bromine emissions. U.S. Magnesium has denied being responsible for it and has said the bill will not do much.
"Exciting to see the full backing of state leadership to address our air quality concerns!" the environmental group O2 Utah said in a text message to FOX 13 News upon being informed of the bill being signed into law.
