Utah Code 65A-17-102. Legislative findings
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The Legislature finds that:
(1) under Section 65A-10-1 the division, as the manager of sovereign lands, has a duty to serve the public interest in managing the Great Salt Lake;
Terms Used In Utah Code 65A-17-102
- Division: means the Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands. See Utah Code 65A-1-1
- Emergency trigger: means the salinity levels of the Gilbert Bay of the Great Salt Lake do not satisfy the ecological conditions required for healthy brine shrimp and brine fly reproduction. See Utah Code 65A-17-101
- Sovereign lands: means those lands lying below the ordinary high water mark of navigable bodies of water at the date of statehood and owned by the state by virtue of its sovereignty. See Utah Code 65A-1-1
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes a state, district, or territory of the United States. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
(2) the Great Salt Lake is a critical resource owned and managed by the state;
(3) the lake levels of the Great Salt Lake have reached historic lows, requiring action by the state to address significant risks and minimize dangers to protect the ecological integrity of the Great Salt Lake, the state’s environment in general, and the welfare of the state’s citizens; and
(4) the management of the Great Salt Lake under this chapter, especially if the emergency trigger is reached, is reasonable and necessary to serve important public purposes and no reasonable alternative meets the interests described in Subsection (3).