U.S. Rep. Blake Moore’s legislation to save the Great Salt Lake and saline lakes in neighboring states has passed the U.S. Senate and is headed to President Joe Biden’s desk for signature (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin State Program Act has passed the U.S. Senate and is now bound for the desk of President Joe Biden to be signed into law.
That legislation, introduced into the U.S. House by Rep. Blake Moore (R-UT) in July, unanimously passed the Senate in early December.
“Over the past two years,” Moore explained, “I have worked with Senator (Mitt) Romney (R-UT) and the Utah delegation to bring awareness and solutions to the challenges that threaten the Great Salt Lake and saline lakes in neighboring states.”
“With the Great Salt Lake currently at the lowest level ever recorded,” Romney observed, following the Senate vote, “we must do whatever is necessary to save it.”
The Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act will provide the U.S. Geological Survey – in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and tribal, state, academic and non-profit organizations – with resources to conduct scientific monitoring and assessments to establish effective management and conservation efforts to preserve essential Saline Lake habitats within the Great Basin network.
In addition to Romney, bi-partisan co-sponsors on the legislation included Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Rep. Jared Huffman (D-CA).
“I was proud to lead this legislation … “ Romney said, “which will establish a scientific foundation and ongoing monitoring systems to inform coordinated management and conservation actions for the threatened Great Basin saline lake ecosystems and the communities that depended on them.”
The Great Salt Lake and its neighboring saline lakes are invaluable to Utah’s health, environment and habitat communities, according to Moore, as well as its ski, recreation, brine shrimp and extraction industries.
Moore’s initial proposal was praised by Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and legislative leaders Senate President J. Stuart Adams and Speaker of the Utah House Brad Wilson.
They agreed that the Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act builds on “important, broadly supported” work being done in the Utah Legislature to address the problem of declining water levels in the Great Salt Lake.
“This is a superb bill for the future of the Great Salt Lake as well as the animals and people who rely on it,” Cox said. “This legislation could be the key to ensuring the viability of the Great Salt Lake far into the future.”
Cox added that Moore’s legislation will address the economic value of the lake; the importance of migratory birds; fill gaps in the science around its hydrology; integrate existing work being done on water quality; and assess future water needs.
Non-profit organizations supporting Moore’s legislation include the National Audubon Society, Compass Minerals, Trout Unlimited, Rio Tinto Kennecott, the Utah Waterfowl Association, The Utah Airboat Association, the Utah Wetlands Foundation, the Nature Conservancy in Utah, Friends of the Great Salt Lake, the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District, the Great Salt Lake Brine Shrimp Cooperative, the Utah Audubon Council and the National Wildlife Federation.
“I am thrilled that this bill has received the necessary support to head for the president’s desk,” Moore said.
“I thank all who have worked on this legislation to get it to the finish line.”