Lawmakers approve tighter controls on mineral extraction at Great Salt Lake
Measure adds more regulation amid dwindling saline lake
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- Clouds and mountains are reflected in evaporation ponds at the east complex of Compass Minerals at the Great Salt Lake on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016.
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- Great Salt Lake Collaborative
Ravell Call, Deseret News
Clouds and mountains are reflected in evaporation ponds at the east complex of Compass Minerals at the Great Salt Lake on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016.
Editor’s note: This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake — and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. Read all of our stories at greatsaltlakenews.org.
The Utah Legislature passed a significant piece of legislation, HB453 that establishes new restrictions on mineral extraction from companies operating on the Great Salt Lake to protect the saline body of water and its surrounding wetlands.
While not without controversy and pushback from some of the companies, the measure was approved Thursday after several iterations and now awaits the governor’s signature.
“Over the past few years, the state, local governments, private sector, and everyday citizens have done their part to ensure the Great Salt Lake is around for future generations,” said Rep. Casey Snider, sponsor of the Great Salt Lake Revisions bill. “HB453 is another huge step in the right direction as we work to keep water in the lake. I am grateful for the good faith efforts and voluntary agreements of the mineral extraction companies to work with the state to address the concerns of a shrinking lake.”
Of the 10 companies extracting minerals from the lake, two of them control the vast majority of the water rights. Snider and other lawmakers have been concerned that there has been nothing done to protect “upstream” conservation of water from then being used by the companies. The lake reached an historic low and could decline even more in the light of weather or diversions.
Great Salt Lake Collaborative
The mineral extraction industry at the lake is big business for Utah, but lawmakers have complained some of the companies have been operating without proper oversight and without paying an appropriate severance.
Of the 10 companies extracting minerals from the lake, two of them control the vast majority of the water rights. Snider and other lawmakers have been concerned that there has been nothing done to protect “upstream” conservation of water from then being used by the companies. The lake reached an historic low and could decline even more in the light of weather or diversions.
The mineral extraction industry at the lake is big business for Utah, but lawmakers have complained some of the companies have been operating without proper oversight and without paying an appropriate severance.
The bill, one of the most significant pieces of legislation related to the lake, passed the legislature unanimously.