The 45-day sprint that’s known as the 2024 Utah Legislative Session is in the books. Now, state lawmakers must look to the future and maybe get some well-needed rest, but that doesn’t mean they stop talking to constituents.
On Tuesday morning, northern Utah lawmakers gathered at Bridgerland Technical College to highlight their takeaways from the recent session and talk with local voters and elected officials.
Rep. Casey Snider, R-Paradise, said much of his bills focused on water infrastructure and water planning. One bill Snider is most proud of is House Bill 453, which helped reshaped mineral extraction and water use for the Great Salt Lake.
“HB 453 was a bill I ran on the Great Salt Lake that fundamentally shifts everybody in that system into the ‘first in time, first in right’ space," Snider said. "Now we know that water in the Great Salt Lake is not wasted, that the ancillary services that the Great Salt Lake provides, whether it's for wildlife or dust mitigation, because you have water or just ecological services of any kind, those have a value.”
Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, also said water conservation was a big focus during the session. He said that despite the strong snowpacks during this year and last year, he knows a drought could always be around the corner.
Sandall also said he focused on energy, saying the state has taken steps to keep coal-fired power plants open. He said coal would continue to be a large source of energy in Utah until other methods can become more widespread.
“We honestly believe until another base load source of power comes online, which would be nuclear or geothermal, but we see that in a 30 year timeframe at earliest," Sandall said. "And until then, we're going to have to maintain a 24/7 baseload power of coal generation until then, and that'll be fine.”
Utah lawmakers passed a total of 591 bills during this year’s legislative session — a new record. By next January, they’ll do it all over again. For now, lawmakers like Snider are just happy to be back home.
“Thank goodness it's over," Snider said with a laugh. "See you next year."
