Utah Gov. Spencer Cox started his monthly press conference Thursday by addressing the state’s water outlook. Other highlights included the recent arrest of the Utah Farm Bureau President, concerns about the new national monument in Arizona and a new business-friendly online system.
Gov. Cox said the majority of the state is no longer in a drought and has currently received 138% of normal precipitation. Even with the hotter July, Cox said the record snowpack has kept soil moisture high so more runoff went into the streams, lakes and reservoirs.
He said the statewide reservoir storage right now is at 80%, much higher than normal.
“Which is awesome, which means we have a leg up on next year, which we are very excited about. Normal for this period, mid-August is around 64%," Cox said.
Gov. Cox also spoke on concerns about former Utah Farm Bureau President Ron Gibson. Gibson permanently resigned from his position after being arrested for assaulting a farm worker. The assault took place after multiple workers confronted Gibson about missing paychecks.
“And it is critical that they get paid, and that they get paid on time that they get paid what they're promised to get paid. And that they are again treated with dignity and respect. So when there are allegations that that is not happening, we take that very seriously," Cox said.
Cox also addressed the newly announced national monument at Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, saying it goes against the Antiquities Act. Cox shared his experience when visiting Bears Ears in southeastern Utah, and said that while many tribal members expressed gratitude towards the intentions of protecting monuments, the amount of people these places attract causes concerns.
He also expressed concern about the prevention of uranium mining due to President Biden’s announcement.
“And, so you can't say in one breath that you believe in climate change, that you're desperate to have more electric vehicles that we have to have better and more efficient and cleaner energy production. And then say we can't mine any of the critical minerals that are necessary to do all of those things," Cox said.
Another highlight was how the Department of Alcoholic and Beverage Services launched its new online system. Gov. Cox worked alongside Tiffany Clason, director of the Department of Alcohol Beverage Services to modernize the system and allow it to be more business-friendly.
