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Utah files ambitious lawsuit to take control of 18.5 million acres of federal public land
Utah is suing the federal government over how it manages public land in the state, again. But unlike past legal challenges, which target specific national monuments or policies, the scope of the lawsuit filed with the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday is massive, questioning whether the Bureau of Land Management’s claim to 18.5 million acres […]
Biden administration responds to Utah and Wyoming’s legal challenge of public lands rule
Attorneys for the Biden administration called Utah and Wyoming’s legal challenge of a new public land policy “entirely unfounded” and “speculative” in a court filing last week, the latest in a new legal battle over how the federal government manages land in the West. Both states sued the U.S. Department of Interior in June for […]
Despite lapse in compensation for downwinders, there are still more than 1,000 pending claims
It’s been two months now since Congress let the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, expire, leaving people in the West who were exposed to fallout from nuclear weapons testing with no financial recourse. Now, data from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division shows there are more than 1,000 pending claims for compensation as […]
As the Great Salt Lake shrinks, its carbon footprint grows, study finds
Not only does the shrinking Great Salt Lake impact wildlife and expose Utahns to toxic dust, it’s also a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. That’s according to new research from the Royal Ontario Museum, which published a study last week that found the dry lakebed emitted about 4.1 million tons of greenhouse gases in […]
Report forecasts economic impact in the billions if 2034 Olympics come to Utah
If Utah hosts the 2034 Olympics — and state leaders are confident it will — the economic impact could be about $6.6 billion, according to a new report from the University of Utah’s Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute. The report comes as a delegation of athletes, elected officials and staff with the Salt Lake City-Utah […]
Governor, Salt Lake City mayor headed to France to argue Utah’s case for hosting the Olympics
Who will host the 2034 Olympic games? A group of high-profile athletes and elected officials are headed to France later this month to make the case for Utah. On July 24, the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, will make its announcement from Paris — but first, it will hear a 30-minute presentation from Utah’s Olympic […]
Utah hits pause on mineral company’s southern Utah lithium project
An Australian-based mineral company hoping to produce lithium along the Green River in southern Utah will have to put its plans on hold for now after a coalition of environmental groups successfully petitioned the state to reconsider its application. On Tuesday, the Utah Division of Water Rights announced it was reconsidering A1 Lithium’s application to […]
Feds, state and private landowners designate 2.7 million acre Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape
A sweeping, unique approach to land management and conservation is headed to Utah in the shape of the 2.7 million acre Great Salt Lake Sentinel Landscape. Spanning the final stretch of the Bear River, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, the entire southern arm of the Great Salt Lake, Hill Air Force Base, Tooele Army […]
Utah’s reservoirs are at about 90% capacity, except Lake Powell. Here’s why
Utah’s reservoirs are still at what the state calls “impressive” levels, with most hovering around 90% capacity — by comparison, statewide levels were a little over half full this time last year. But Lake Powell, the country’s second-largest reservoir, is an outlier. According to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, it’s currently at about 35% capacity. […]
Advocates want to expand compensation for downwinders, but Utahns in Congress worry about price tag
Congress is considering two competing bills that would continue compensating people who were sickened by radiation from nuclear weapons testing and development, known as downwinders. One is sponsored by Republican Sen. Mike Lee and would keep the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, or RECA, alive for two more years. The other is sponsored by Missouri Republican […]
Bill from Utahns in Congress could jeopardize expanded compensation for downwinders
For decades, downwinders have criticized the Radiation Compensation Exposure Act, or RECA, for being too narrow. Designed to compensate people exposed to and sickened by nuclear weapons development, activists say RECA has glaring cracks — for starters, it only covered 10 counties in Utah despite research suggesting the whole state was exposed to dangerous, cancer-causing […]
Utah’s reservoirs and streams in ‘impressive’ shape, state says
Utah’s streams and reservoirs are in good shape heading into the spring, with the snowpack likely seeing its peak for the season and runoff expected to bring more water down from the mountains in the coming weeks. The Utah Division of Water Resources on Thursday reported the state’s reservoirs at about 85% capacity, which officials […]