Governor Spencer Cox says he will allow Utah’s state of emergency for the ongoing drought to expire at the end of the month, since the legislature declined to take any action to renew it.Cox says we aren’t out of the woods yet, but the plan is to “watch how these next few months play out.” He says he and his team will have conversations with the legislature and renew it if needed.
Utah’s Department of Natural Resources previously recommended the state of emergency be extended until the end of the year, but lawmakers took no action to renew it in a September meeting after one lawmaker expressed displeasure with ongoing states of emergency. Cox says, if needed, he would issue a new state of emergency.
Some long-term forecast models are showing Utah’s drought to be continuing into next year. However, the new water year is off to a good start.
