Utah Lake is a treasured and priceless resource in the state of Utah. In 2018, the Utah Legislature passed HB272. This legislation gave a body of non-elected officials power to dispose of sovereign lakebed and lakeshore properties for development projects that would promise to restore the lake. Concerns about the lack of accountability and transparency of this process have led legislators to propose HB240 Utah Lake Amendments. This amendment would require that any such disposal of properties be approved by the Utah Legislature and the governor, who must first determine that restoration projects are practically, fiscally, and constitutionally sound.
TO DO
Contact your Utah legislators to encourage them to pass HB240 to assure transparency and accountability in the process for selling state-owned property associated with the restoration of Utah Lake. In less than five minutes, you can submit a letter to all of your elected representatives at once via our website. You have the option to either write your own letter or answer some short prompts to have a personalized letter created for you. Go HERE to submit a letter.
BACKGROUND
Utah Lake is a treasured and priceless resource in the state of Utah. Its history is inextricably tied to the indigenous peoples of the area as well as to the pioneers who settled around the lakeshore in the 1800s. Today Utah Lake plays a crucial role in the local ecology and water systems, which are connected with the Provo and Jordan Rivers and many other waterways in the state, including the Great Salt Lake.
Utah Lake also provides recreation opportunities and natural spaces for Utahns to continue to enjoy. However, over the last 150 years, river diversions, dumping, and groundwater pollution have led to a lake contaminated by sewage, industrial runoff, pesticides, and other pollutants. Introduction of non-native plant and fish species have further stressed the ecosystem. Though since the 1970s many projects by local agencies and groups have significantly improved the lake’s outlook, the Utah Legislature passed HB272 in 2018. Among other things, this legislation gave a state division of non-elected officials power to dispose of lakebed and lakeshore properties for development projects that would promise to restore the lake.
Concerns about the lack of accountability and transparency of this process have led legislators to propose HB240 Utah Lake Amendments. This law would require that any such disposal of properties be approved by the Utah Legislature as well as the governor, who must first determine that restoration projects are practically, fiscally, and constitutionally sound.
The process established by HB272 in 2018 — the process that remains in place if HB240 is not passed — threatens the future of Utah Lake for generations to come. That process also violates multiple MWEG Principles of Ethical Government, including:
(1) (b) Government officials and institutions should be honest and transparent, insofar as possible without harming national security and individual rights (see D&C 123:13; Alma 37:25).
(c) Elected and appointed officials and government employees alike must eschew conflicts of interest and avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest in fidelity to the public trust. Appointees to specialized government roles should be well-qualified to serve in those roles (see Mosiah 29:35-36 and D&C 134:3).
(2) (f) Governments and members of society have an obligation to exercise responsible stewardship of the earth, thereby protecting not only the wellbeing of their citizens, but also that of both future generations and other citizens of the planet (see D&C 59:18-21 and D&C 104:13-15) [2].
Although HB240 does not guarantee the future preservation and restoration of Utah Lake, this bill improves the political process of any future Utah Lake project involving the sale or disposal of public lands. Passing HB240 ensures transparency and accountability in the process of assessing future development proposals that could permanently alter the future of the lake.
As women of faith, we take seriously the important obligation to safeguard the earth and her resources for our children and generations that follow. We believe we are personally accountable for treating creation in a manner that honors its Creator. Any action altering an ecosystem as large, important, and precious as Utah Lake should only be undertaken with utmost caution and accountability.
In this case, the potentially large transfer of sovereign lands necessitates additional legislative and executive scrutiny — practically, ecologically, and fiscally. This should be done in a transparent manner, with sufficient time for comment from stakeholders and the scientific community. HB240 allows for that increased caution, accountability, and scrutiny.
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