USU executive Brian Steed has been appointed by Gov. Spence Cox to serve in the new role of commissioner of the Great Salt Lake. He is currently the executive director of the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air at Utah State University.
SALT LAKE CITY – Gov. Spencer Cox has appointed an executive from Utah State University as commissioner of the Great Salt Lake.
“We have a unique opportunity right now to protect and preserve the Great Salt Lake,” the governor said, announcing the appointment of Brian Steed to the new post of commissioner of Great Salt Lake.
“Brian’s expertise and passion for the lake will ensure its future is secure for generations to come.”
In the newly created post, Steed will be tasked to coordinating all state efforts to preserve the Great Salt Lake into an approved strategic plan under House Bill 491.
He will meet with various involve agencies studying the lake and also with government leaders in that role.
“I am honored by this nomination and am very excited to continue working on the challenges facing the Great Salt Lake,” said Steed at a brief ceremony on Monday at the State Capitol.
“The decisions we make today will have a huge impact on the lake and its future, as well as on the quality of life Utahns have historically enjoyed. I am optimistic that by working together we can get it right.”
Steed’s appointment must be confirmed by the Utah Senate, but influential lawmakers are already lined up to sing his praises.
“Brian Steed’s immense natural resource knowledge at the local, state and federal levels, combined with his leadership skills, will help facilitate collaboration and increase Utah’s ability to find long-term solutions for the Great Salt Lake,” according to Senate President J. Stuart Adams.
“There is perhaps no role more important in the state at this time than that of the new Great Salt Lake commissioner,” agreed House Speaker Brad Wilson. “While no small task, I have the utmost confidence in Brian Steed. He has proved time and time again that he’s capable of tackling big issues and working toward the greater good.”
House Bill 491 was enacted by the Utah Legislature in response to the West’s ongoing historic drought.
Those dry conditions have caused the Great Salt Lake to drop around 8.5 feet in elevation from a historic high of 4,211.6 feet (covering 3,300 square miles of surface area) in 2000 to a historic low of 4,191.35 (covering 950 square miles of surface area) in 2022, resulting in a loss of about 44% of the lake’s surface area.
Steed is currently executive director of the Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air at Utah State University, a position that he will retain in addition to his duties as Great Salt Lake commissioner.
As part of that role, he has served as co-chair of the Great Salt Lake Strike Team. That is a cooperative effort by Utah State University, the University of Utah, the Utah Department of Natural Resources and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality that provides up-to-date data and analysis of the lake and policy recommendations to the governor and legislators to help restore the lake to healthy levels.
“I’m extremely supportive of Brian serving as Great Salt Lake Commissioner as well as in the Institute for Land, Water and Air,” said USU President Noelle Cockett. “By taking these complementary roles, Brian will be bringing the right voices to the table to help address Utah’s most critical issues.”
Previously, Steed has served as executive director of the Utah Department of Natural Resources; deputy director of policy and programs and the official exercising of the director of the Bureau of Land Management; and chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart (R-UT).
Steed has a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree in political science from Utah State University; a juris doctor and certificate in natural resources and environmental law from the S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah; and a doctorate in public policy from Indiana University.
It is likely that Steed’s appointment as commissioner of the Great Salt Lake will be approved by the Utah Senate during a special session of the Legislature called by Cox starting May 17.