Katie Balakir

Katie Balakir

It likely comes as no surprise that the 2024 legislative session was full of ups, downs, and difficult bills. But our incredible community showed up in force to advocate for the beauty and wildness of the Wasatch Mountains. 

The legislature introduced over 900 bills and resolutions, passing a record-breaking 591 bills during the 45-day session. Save Our Canyons closely tracked over 50 bills engaging with land use, water, wildlife, recreation, and transportation in and around the Wasatch Mountains. Here are a few highs and lows of the session: 

Huge Wins for Parley’s Canyon

Thanks to your engagement, we were able to defeat S.B. 172 Protection Areas Revisions and the original version of H.B. 502 Critical Infrastructure and Mining - two mining bills that would have negatively impacted the entire Wasatch, including the proposed gravel pit in Parley’s Canyon. Over 1,400 individuals took action and collectively sent over 10,000 messages to legislators asking them to vote no on the two bills. As a direct result of your advocacy, S.B. 172 never received a committee hearing and H.B. 502 was entirely rewritten as a study to analyze the supply and demand of gravel, sand, and rock aggregate. 

S.B. 172 would’ve allowed mining operations to expand with little to no oversight from local governments. Similarly, H.B. 502 would’ve limited local control over mines and gravel pits while also mandating local governments provide water for those operations. 

We wholeheartedly support long-term planning for solutions to our infrastructure needs and where we acquire aggregate, but the planning process needs to consider impacts to our watersheds, water conservation efforts, air quality, flora and fauna, and public health. We’ll work to engage with legislators and state agencies during the upcoming study (required by H.B. 502) and advocate for a holistic approach.

Efforts to Proactively Protect Our Natural Spaces

Two exciting measures were introduced this session, both of which aimed to improve protections for natural resources and wildlife. 

H.B. 243 Riparian Amendments by Rep. Bennion (Cottonwood Heights) would’ve required local governments to develop plans around the management of riparian areas and would've created a new position in the Utah Department of Natural Resources to provide specialized expertise to local governments on riparian planning. Simply put, riparian areas are land along the banks of rivers, streams, lakes, or other bodies of water that exhibit characteristics of both terrestrial and aquatic habitats.  These areas are critical to helping maintain water quality, supporting biodiversity, mitigating the risk of floods, and preventing erosion. 

H.B. 195 Land Use Planning Amendments by Rep. Owens (Salt Lake City) would’ve required local governments to consider the impacts of new development on wildlife before adopting general plans or land use regulations. Encouraging local governments to take wildlife and wildlife habitats into consideration during planning processes is a proactive way to assess how projects may negatively affect our natural environment and how to mitigate those impacts.

Although these two bills ultimately failed to pass, they prompted important discussions about how to best manage our natural spaces. Save Our Canyons will continue to advocate for legislation to protect our priorities throughout the interim session this year and look for future opportunities to advocate for these proactive efforts to protect the Wasatch in future legislative sessions.

Concerning Rhetoric Around Public Land Management

This session, we followed a number of bills that attempted to challenge or redefine the federal government’s role in managing federal lands in Utah. H.B. 409 Presumption of State Jurisdiction Amendments (failed), H.B. 471 Public Lands Possession Amendments (passed), and S.B. 75 Mineral Amendments (failed) all asserted that Utah should have a greater role, if not the ultimate say, in how federal lands are managed within the state. This is a concerning trend, given the way legislators often view conservation efforts in Utah. 

For example, legislators expressed disapproval towards the Bureau of Land Management’s proposed Public Lands Rule (or Conservation Rule) this session. H.B. 496 Public Land Use Amendments by Rep. Albrecht calls on the Utah Public Lands Policy Coordinating Office (or PLPCO) to take an official position in opposing the BLM’s proposed Public Lands Rule. The new rule would put conservation on an equal footing with other uses (which include livestock grazing, mining, energy development, timber harvesting, and outdoor recreation), allowing the BLM to protect and restore sensitive habitats. The bill was signed into law by Gov. Cox last week.

The authority to manage federal lands is a constitutional right reserved for Congress. Thinly-veiled efforts to pass that responsibility to states, who in almost every case don’t have the resources or expertise to manage federal lands, are short-sighted. Save Our Canyons will continue to advocate against legislative efforts to transfer land management authority away from the experts. 

 

 

From the entire team at Save Our Canyons, thank you for your steadfast advocacy in helping to protect the Wasatch Mountains. We can’t continue this important work without you. Save Our Canyons will continue to show up in force in Utah’s state legislature to advocate for solutions which protect the Wasatch for future generations. 

Last week marked the halfway point of the legislative session. So far, we’ve seen over 700 bills and resolutions introduced. Although we’ve enjoyed a relatively slow start to the session with the land management, transportation, and air/water issues we’ve been watching, we expect things to ramp up in the coming weeks. 

As the session winds down, lawmakers suspend the rules to bypass committees–meaning less time to vet bills and less time for public engagement. Your attention and actions will be as critical as ever. Follow Save Our Canyons on Facebook and Instagram (@saveourcanyons)–it's the fastest way to get updates about important meetings, petitions, and other actions. 

Here’s a look at last week, where we heard a presentation on why tree thinning won’t save the Great Salt Lake, saw a continued push for zero-fare transportation, and attended Nonprofit Day on the Hill, where we celebrated other amazing community organizations.

Salt Lake County Council Meeting on Tree Thinning

On February 7, the Salt Lake County Council invited a panel of experts to speak on water conservation and forest management. The presentation came in response to Councilwoman Dea Theodore’s (District 6) assertion that trees consume "trillions of gallons of water that would otherwise flow downstream to the Great Salt Lake.” 

Overall, there was considerable pushback to Councilwoman Theodore’s proposal. 

Ben Abbott, professor of ecosystem ecology at Brigham Young University (BYU), and Brian Brown, a master’s student at BYU, presented research showing the impact of forest thinning on water availability. Although the results were mostly inconclusive, forest thinning did show to actually reduce the amount of available water in some places with drier climates. Trees provide precious shade that reduces the amount of sunlight hitting the snow and, in turn, the rate of evaporation. Imagine hiking in the Wasatch Mountains on a sunny day and catching sweet reprieve under the shade of a tree. Now imagine if there was no shade at all–you’d probably melt too!

Laura Briefer, Director of SLC Department of Public Utilities, and Rebecca Hotze, District Ranger for the Salt Lake Ranger District (US Forest Service), spoke about the important role forest management plays in maintaining a healthy watershed. Overgrown forests increase the risk of wildfires, which could threaten the quantity and quality of water flowing out of the Wasatch Mountains. 

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The Great Salt Lake Strike Team, composed of researchers from the University of Utah, Utah State University, and various state agencies, released a timely report last week. The team explored policy options to restore the Great Salt Lake and concluded that the impact of tree thinning on the lake’s water inflows “is unclear and likely to be minimal.” 

The main takeaway? Proper forest management is critical to help prevent wildfires and support a healthy watershed, but it isn’t the silver bullet to saving our Great Salt Lake. Instead, we should focus our energy and dollars on conservation efforts.

Support Zero Fares for Cleaner Air 

Protecting the Wasatch Mountains is tied directly to public transportation. 

For example:

  • Improving traffic congestion in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyon by offering enhanced, year-round bus service (supplemented by measures like occupancy-based tolling) would reduce the number of vehicles on the road and, as a result, vehicle emissions. During the inversion a few weeks ago, breathing the air in Utah for 24 hours was comparable to smoking up to five cigarettes
  • Connecting communities west of I-15 with express public transit routes to the Wasatch Mountains would promote more equitable access to our public lands for all user groups and communities. 

The Salt Lake Valley continues to be “car-centric”, but we believe that can change through better public transportation options and lower fares. 

Senator Weiler requested a one-time appropriation of $25.5 million to fund a yearlong statewide zero-fare transit pilot program. The pilot program, which seeks to increase public transit ridership by 24-36%, is inspired by the Utah Transit Authority’s (UTA) Free Fare February in 2022. (UTA is currently offering ten zero fare days from February 12-21.)

During Free Fare February, the UTA bus (fixed routes, flex routes, and UVX), ski bus, TRAX, Frontrunner, UTA On Demand, and Paratransit were free for riders. UTA saw a 16% increase in ridership on weekdays and a 46% increase in ridership on weekends, across all modes of transit. February ridership also resulted in a significant decrease in vehicle source emissions. 

So far, Sen. Weiler’s request hasn’t been identified as a priority by the Executive Appropriations Committee. We encourage you to reach out to members of the committee and ask them to support the Statewide Zero Fare Transit Pilot Program. Our wonderful partners at HEAL Utah created a template you can use.

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Traffic congestion, and our air quality, will continue to worsen unless the state invests in an accessible public transit system, both in terms of cost and proximity to riders. We all benefit from better public transit, including our mountains and canyons.

Nonprofit Day on the Hill 

On February 9, Save Our Canyons participated in Nonprofit Day on the Hill. We had a great time connecting with other nonprofits and celebrating all of the important work they do for our communities. We also enjoyed engaging with legislators and everyone who stopped by to learn about what we’ve been up to. Thank you for showing up! 

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Pika Fact of the Week: While many pikas live in chilly alpine conditions, they can also survive at lower altitudes in deep, cool caves. Pikas have even been observed in the ice tubes of Lava Beds National Monument in California.

We dedicated most of our energy this week to new developments with the Utah Department of Transportation’s (UDOT) gondola proposal for Little Cottonwood Canyon (LCC). Let’s recap the latest gondola developments—and how you can make your voice heard—in this week’s edition of Policy & Pikas.

Background

If you’re unfamiliar with UDOT’s proposal to build a gondola up LCC, or if you’d enjoy having a little more context, visit our gondola issue page

After almost five years, eight comment periods, and over 35,000 public comments, UDOT announced the gondola as their preferred alternative to address transportation issues in LCC. Although UDOT released the Final Environmental Impact Statement in August identifying the gondola as their preferred alternative, they’ve not yet issued their final decision (Record of Decision). We expect UDOT to issue the Record of Decision in the coming weeks and after it’s issued, UDOT will need to find funding for whichever alternative they select. 

The Latest Update

The Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) held a meeting last Thursday to discuss the Draft 2023-2050 Regional Transportation Plan. 21 voting members make up the WFRC, including representatives from local governments along the Wasatch front, UDOT, and the Utah Transit Authority (UTA). Every four years, the council drafts a transportation plan for the Salt Lake and Ogden metropolitan areas. 

On Jan. 26, council members voted to include UDOT’s $1.4 billion gondola proposal in the Draft 2023-2050 Regional Transportation Plan and release it for public comment. They noted that if the Record of Decision is different from the Final Environmental Impact Statement, they will change the plan to reflect the Record of Decision. 

Keeping the gondola in the plan doesn’t ensure funding, but it does make it easier for UDOT to secure funding for the project in the future. 

The public comment period is currently open and ends on February 26.

Take Action

There are two things you can do to help keep the gondola out of the 2023-2050 Regional Transportation Plan.

1. Submit a public comment telling the WFRC to keep the gondola out of the Regional Transportation Plan. 

Submit a Comment HERE

You can use the template below if you're not sure where to start. 

"Dear members of the Wasatch Front Regional Council,

I am a [skier, hiker, climber, concerned citizen, etc. - make it personal!], and I am in opposition to building a gondola up Little Cottonwood Canyon, in reference to the 2023-2050 Draft Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) beginning on page 97.

[Insert your own story/connection to LCC and why you oppose the gondola! See our gondola page (“Why We Oppose the Gondola”) for talking points.]

I encourage you to remove the gondola from the RTP. The gondola will not solve our canyon's traffic issues, can only serve patrons to two ski resorts (despite being paid for by all Utah taxpayers), and will irrevocably damage our sweeping mountain views, world-class recreation opportunities, and our critical watershed. Instead, let's invest our time and money into transportation solutions (like a year-round bus system, with shorter headways in the winter) that can be scaled to other canyons and has a smaller environmental footprint.

Thank you,

[Name]"

2. Identify your WFRC representative(s) below and let them know your concerns about the gondola and the future of LCC. 

(You can use your public comment!)

Pika Fact of the Week: Pikas can overheat when exposed to temperatures as mild as 78 degrees Fahrenheit.