- Republican lawmakers and water advocates found themselves at odds over the meaning of a bill that could impact the health of the Great Salt Lake.
- The sponsor claims it aims to boost the health of the ailing lake.
- But advocates say it will do the opposite, calling it a "major red flag."
SALT LAKE CITY — Republican lawmakers and water advocates found themselves at odds over the meaning of a bill Friday, with legislators saying it would help bring more water into the Great Salt Lake, while advocates called it a "major red flag" that threatened the health of the ailing lake.
The disagreements and potential confusion about what the bill would do didn't stop it from passing through the House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee Friday, but it did prompt a warning from the GOP chairman of the committee, who urged stakeholders to work out their differences.
"Given the concerns that have been raised ... I would go back and ask you to continue to work with those dissenting votes ... and take comments from those people that made some comments today," Rep. Carl Albrecht, R-Richfield, told the sponsor of the bill, Rep. David Shallenberger, R-Orem. "I would just encourage some more dialogue as you move the bill through the process.
Shallenberger told the committee his bill aims to "streamline" the process of getting water into the Great Salt Lake when people apply for water rights, by narrowing the scope of concerns the state water engineer can consider when deciding on challenges to a water rights application.
"This is really targeted towards the Great Salt Lake and helping keep it ... to a healthy, strong spot," he said. "We want her to be able to do what she does best, and that means not focus on economic analysis, air quality issues or other things like that."
Utah currently requires the state engineer to consider denying water right applications that might "unreasonably affect public recreation or the natural stream environment, or will prove detrimental to the public welfare." HB60 would require the engineer to "consider only issues directly related to: the beneficial use of water; or the quantity, quality or availability of water in the state."
Lawmakers and advocates both agreed that they want to bolster the health of the Great Salt Lake but could not have been further apart on whether HB60 actually does anything to help.
"This bill absolutely, positively streamlines the drying of the Great Salt Lake, make no mistake about it," said Zachary Frankel, with the Utah Rivers Council. "Allowing this bill to proceed is a major red flag."
Frankel said the bill limits who can challenge water rights claims in court, "effectively eliminating (Utahns') ability to enjoy all three branches of government, the checks and balances of democracy."
"There is simply no two ways to read this bill and argue that this will benefit the Great Salt Lake," he added.
Shallenberger said the state engineer would work with other departments, including the Department of Environmental Quality, to address environmental impacts of certain water rights claims, but advocates weren't satisfied with the language in the bill and wanted more clarity to ensure those considerations were made.
"I also share the belief that this bill is well intended, and the goal is the same for all of us to help increase the flow of water to the lake," said Rep. John Arthur, D-Cottonwood Heights, who said he needed more clarity in order to support it.
HB60 ultimately passed the committee on partisan lines, 7-2.
