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Governor signs Great Salt Lake bills into law

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SALT LAKE CITY — Governor Spencer Cox and Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson signed a series of bills into law aimed at water conservation and saving the Great Salt Lake.

On Tuesday night, the governor signed 173 bills into law from the 2023 legislative session. But the biggest in the batch were the ones run to protect the lake. They are tied to nearly a half-billion dollars in funding for water conservation measures. The bills include:

The governor also signed a major air quality bill that is tied to the Great Salt Lake. House Bill 220 targets U.S. Magnesium. A recent study blamed the company for roughly 25% of the air pollution along the Wasatch Front. The bill allows Utah's Department of Environmental Quality to regulate bromine emissions. U.S. Magnesium has denied being responsible for it and has said the bill will not do much.

"LFGGGGGG! Exciting to see the full backing of state leadership to address our air quality concerns!" the environmental group O2 Utah said in a text message to FOX 13 News upon being informed of the bill being signed into law.

This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake—and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. Read all of our stories at greatsaltlakenews.org.