- The Trump administration has settled a dispute over Great Salt Lake wetlands going back to 1929.
- The federal government will pay Utah $60 million for 22,000 acres located near Brigham City.
- Utah lawmakers praised the White House deal, saying funds will be used to help save the lake.
Utah legislative leadership praised the Trump administration on Friday for resolving a century-long legal battle between Utah and the federal government over wetlands at the northeast corner of the Great Salt Lake.
A lawsuit by the state has been settled for $60 million, according to top lawmakers, making it a significantly better deal for the state than the $15 million the U.S. government offered for the disputed area 25 years ago.
Utah now officially recognizes the federal ownership of the 22,311 acres which has long been managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. The wetlands area is located adjacent to Brigham City.
The agreement will be recognized in a joint resolution by the Utah House and Senate on Friday. HJR30 provides certainty for the bird refuge, finalizes its boundaries, guarantees public access and retains mineral interests for Utah.
Trump promises to help Great Salt Lake
The resolution, HJR30, marks the first example of President Donald Trump following through with his commitment to help save the Great Salt Lake, according to the resolution’s sponsor, House Majority Leader Casey Snider, R-Paradise.
In February, Trump announced the federal government would help make “the Lake” great again following an extended one-on-one meeting with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox during a National Governors Association conference.
“The Trump administration has been so good to us since that announcement was made at the national governor’s event,” Snider said. “Their offices have called legislators here. They’ve called the director of natural resources here.”
The $60 million resolution to the dispute over the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge moved forward at a speed lawmakers “did not anticipate because of the Trump administration’s involvement,” Snider said.
The money will go “right back into saving the lake,” Snider said. Senate budget vice chair Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, said the funds will be spent using “as much science as we can to allow us to get the best outcome.”
The money will not be spent this session, according to legislators. House Speaker Mike Schultz, R-Hooper, and Snider said the state is still hopeful the White House will fulfill the $1 billion request Cox made to the president.
On Feb. 21, Trump made a post on Truth Social saying the health of the Great Salt Lake was of “tremendous interest” to him, and promised to work with Utah’s “very caring Governor” to “make it all happen!”