Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
State presenters ask lawmakers for $5 million one-time boost to Species Protection Account
Summary
Russ Franklin of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District told the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee that Utah’s Species Protection Account has prevented federal listings for 27 species since 1997 and asked legislators for a $5 million one‑time appropriation to bridge funding while a bill to add ongoing revenue is considered.
Russ Franklin of the Central Utah Water Conservancy District told the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environmental Quality Appropriations Subcommittee that Utah’s Species Protection Account (formerly the Endangered Species Mitigation Fund) has worked since 1997 to both recover listed species and prevent new listings under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Franklin said the program has helped block federal listings for 27 species and cited a 2016 study estimating the account’s work has saved Utah more than $240 million in costs associated with federal listings. He told the committee the account was flat-funded from 1997 until a one-time $2 million increase last year and that program buying power has declined with inflation.
“It's been around since 1997,” Franklin said. “This account has 2 goals. 1…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
