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Council receives brief agency updates: drought loans, OHV grant, trailhead permits and mineral exploration
Summary
County and state agencies reported emergency drought loan eligibility, an open OHV grant window, a tribal permit requirement for Sago Trailhead access, and proposed limestone exploration with a possible 10-year mineral lease option.
The Emery County Public Lands Council received short updates from state and federal agencies on a range of topics at its meeting.
Brian Jones of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food said a recent gubernatorial drought declaration for 17 counties — including Emery — released funds tied to the department’s emergency disaster relief loan program. "It's a seven-year loan. The first two years are 0% interest, and the next five years after that go to 2.75%," Jones said, and he directed producers with drought-related losses to ag.utah.gov for applications and assistance.
State recreation staff reminded the council that the OHV recreational grant opened May 31 and closes July 31 for projects such as kiosks, maps and trail improvements. The Division of Wildlife reported on Sago Trailhead access: an agreement requires a tribal permit (no fee) and a state hunting or fishing license, and the tribe has up to three weeks to process permit requests. Division staff said signage will be placed at canyon approaches and the trailhead to warn visitors of the requirement.
From Trust Lands Administration, Andy Bedingfield described an exploration agreement proposal with TSJ Construction to drill up to four roughly one-mile-square areas to test for limestone suitable for aggregate and concrete work; if suitable, sites could convert to 10-year mineral leases and would require permitting and coordination with county roads and the BLM for access.
Bart Kettle of the Division of Oil, Gas and Mining outlined local permit activity: applications are under review for coal and mineral projects including an Emery Deep coal application and exploration work near Cedar Mountain; he also said public comment on proposed class VI geologic carbon-sequestration rules is expected to open mid-June for 30 days.
Other brief items: state parks reported typical seasonal slowdowns as summer heat begins, and Forest Service staff summarized road and access reopenings after spring work and noted planned grazing movements and wildlife guzzler installations.
Next steps: agencies encouraged stakeholders to apply for grants and loans where eligible and to watch each program’s web pages for application and comment windows.
