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Senate backs resolution urging original Central Utah Project allocations, warns against changing Congress-negotiated plan
Summary
After extended debate, the Senate passed a resolution supporting the original allocation plan for the Central Utah Project, with sponsors and several senators arguing altering the plan could jeopardize federal funding and sharply raise local costs.
The Senate debated HJR6, a resolution concerning allocations in the Central Utah Project, with senators split over whether water originally planned for southern Utah County and parts of Juab County should be held to the original distribution.
Senator Blackcomb argued the resolution supports the Central Utah Project’s original allocation for the southern Utah County/I&D portion and cautioned that moving water to other areas would jeopardize federal funding commitments. "If you reverse the plans that were made, which the federal government has put in place, they withdraw their funding," he said on the floor, adding that rediverting the water would raise costs sharply because federal financial participation depends on the original configuration.
Supporters stressed local investments and decades of contribution toward the project; Senator Mulece said southern Utah County residents had paid taxes for the water since 1965 and that the allocation should protect that future access. Senator Nielsen, who said he helped negotiate the project in Congress, warned that changing the plan could force Salt Lake County to shoulder prohibitive costs if federal funding were withdrawn.
The Senate voted to move HJR6 to the third-reading calendar, 20 aye, 6 nay, 3 absent. Sponsors said the resolution does not permanently preclude future transfers, but it affirms support for the project allocation as originally negotiated and highlights fiscal and logistical consequences of any large-scale reallocation.
