Youth activists are demanding more from the Great Salt Lake 2034 Charter. The plan, recently approved by the Utah Legislature, aims to restore the lake to healthier levels by the time the Olympic Games return to the state.
But many feel that the charter doesn't do enough to hold the Utah government responsible for lake restoration.
Autumn Featherstone, an organizer for Utah Youth Environmental Solutions, was one of many demonstrators gathered at the capital on Nov. 19, demanding immediate action to restore the Great Salt Lake.
“The Utah Legislature has shown us time and time again where their priorities lay," Featherstone said in a speech at the demonstration, "and we need to hold them accountable to protect our lake and protect our futures.”
Neve Chamberlain was another demonstrator with the youth group who addressed the crowd.
“GSL 2034 is a step in the right direction, but it fails to outline concrete action steps or commit government funds to GSL conservation," Chamberlain said.
The GSL 2034 charter announces $200 million dedicated to lake preservation, but that money was committed by private donors.
"It's a little bit of a false promise," says Whitley O'Neill, another demonstrator with UYES, "because it's not technically from the government."
Chamberlain added that the recently signed restoration effort doesn’t go far enough towards protecting vulnerable communities from the harmful effects of the lake drying up.
“Underneath our lakebed are toxic metals like lead, arsenic, and mercury," Chamberlain said. "Without legislative action, our lake will dry, bringing poison into our lungs.”
In 2022, former Utah State Speaker of the House Brad Wilson told UPR that the costs of remediating so much toxic dust could reach into the tens of billions of dollars.
Astrid Van Wagenen, another member of UYES attending the rally, said that it makes sense economically to proactively address lake conservation, instead of dealing with the fallout later.
"Mitigating the effects of the dried-up lake once it's gone is around $32 billion. Comparatively, saving the lake in its current state is only going to be $2-5 billion "
Chamberlain listed a few demands the youth group has for Utah’s legislature.
“Currently we need at least $200 million to match recent donations, no new diversions that harm the lake, and policies that contribute 1-million-acre feet to the lake annually,” Chamberlain said.
She expressed gratitude for recent private contributions to lake preservation but said that much more commitment is needed from the government.
“At the governor’s press conference, the philanthropic community pledged $200 million, undeniably an important contribution," Chamberlain said, "but this leaves $4.8 billion to protect our future."
Chamberlain and the other demonstrators presented a medical bill for $4.8 billion to the Utah legislature.
She explained that the symbolic purpose of the bill was to tell the legislature that "the public health crisis threatened by the lake drying is their responsibility.”
Van Wagenen pointed out that while political rhetoric emphasizes preservation of the Great Salt Lake, legislative action often seems at odds with environmental concerns.
"It's important to recognize that we're simultaneously seeing a bunch of earmarks in legislation that are going towards projects that are actively harming the lake by diverting water away," Van Wagenen says.
Demonstrators at the rally criticize the Utah legislature's support for projects like inland ports, a homeless mega-shelter, and the Bear River Development, which would divert hundreds of thousands of acre-ft of water away from the lake.
Featherstone added that all Utahns need to keep in mind the real reasons that preserving the Great Salt Lake is so important.
“We need to protect the lake for the people and the ecosystems that depend on it," Featherstone said, "not because of the Olympics.”
"The Olympics is going to bring in a lot of money to Utah," O'Neill adds, "and it's going to bring a lot of excitement to Utah. It's not fair that that is happening while we are being ignorant towards the lake, and while we're ignoring the care of our environment"
This story 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.