Continued funding to help the struggling Great Salt Lake is part of Utah Gov. Spencer Cox’s budget recommendations for the coming year, in addition to $10 million to boost dam safety and to improve the health of key watersheds in the state.
The $16 million for the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere speaks to $1.1 billion investments made in the arena of water since 2021.
With an eye to helping forest health, Cox wants $1.4 million as part of the state’s Shared Stewardship program in which it partners with the U.S. Forest Service.
The partnership was first forged in 2019 with then Gov. Gary Herbert, modeled after a similar agreement in Idaho.
Later that same year, officials announced $20 million would he funneled to help Utah forests over a four-year period.
Overall, the recommended funding is for $34.3 million for water and watershed protection.
In late July 2021, the southern arm of the Great Salt Lake reached its lowest recorded level. The precipitous drop in elevation was the result of more than 150 years of diversion since settlers reached the Wasatch Front, resulting in a 44% loss in surface water area.
Lawmakers, policy experts and advocates have tried to correct course, notably enacting changes that allow permanent donations or temporary leases of water to help advert the crisis. Cox’s budget said the $16 million in proposed new money will enable that path to continue to by leveraging funding from both private and federal sources for more leasing to benefit the lake.
Cox has also proposed spending $651,100 to better understand the dust that poses wind blown dangers to public health and in the case of the Great Salt Lake, has been scientifically documented to accelerate snowmelt by as much as six weeks.
Energy vulnerability and Operation Gigawatt
Due to growth, energy intensive industries, an aging transmission system and retirement of baseload energy sources, Cox has proposed $24.7 for Operation Gigawatt, an initiative he announced in October.
The governor, referencing a looming energy crisis, proposed doubling Utah’s energy needs in 10 years.
In comments to the Deseret News he emphasized: “The cost of energy is a tax on everyone. If your power bill goes up, it doesn’t matter if you’re on fixed income. It doesn’t matter if you’re single, married, 20 kids, one kid, no kids. It’s a tax on everybody. It’s a tax on our most vulnerable.”
To that end, he proposes an infusion of $24.7 million to support Operation Gigawatt, with $4.3 million to tap geothermal development and $20.4 million to foster the state’s plans for nuclear energy deployment.
In his budget recommendations, Cox noted: Utah is well positioned to become a leader in nuclear energy.”
Utah, in fact, has been identified as a “first mover” state in the development of nuclear energy to promote economic development and cleaner manufacturing technology.
The identification came as part of the Frontiers initiative by the Idaho National Laboratory which has developed a list of eight states with potential. Utah joins Alaska, Idaho and Wyoming as top candidates.