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9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This joint resolution of the Legislature urges that sufficient funding be budgeted to
12 complete the Bonneville Unit of the Central Utah Project, as well as the entire Central
13 Utah Project.
14 Highlighted Provisions:
15 This resolution:
16 ▸ calls upon Utah's congressional delegation to urge the new administration to budget
17 sufficient funds to fund construction of the remaining portions of the Bonneville
18 Unit of the Central Utah Project, including its environmental components; and
19 ▸ urges the United States Congress to appropriate the budgeted funds to enable the
20 Central Utah Project to be completed.
21 Special Clauses:
22 None
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24 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
25 WHEREAS, the Central Utah Project (CUP) was authorized as a participating project
26 of the 1956 Colorado River Storage Project Act to enable development of a significant portion
27 of Utah's allocated share of the waters of the Colorado River;
28 WHEREAS, this water was allocated to Utah under the 1922 Colorado River Compact
29 and the 1948 Upper Colorado River Basin Compact;
30 WHEREAS, the Central Utah Water Conservancy District (District), was created in
31 1964 to be the sponsoring entity for the CUP to market the water and to repay the reimbursable
32 costs of the CUP;
33 WHEREAS, a project repayment contract was entered into in 1965, and amended and
34 supplemented again in 1985, between the District and the United States to construct and pay
35 the reimbursable costs of the CUP;
36 WHEREAS, the Central Utah Project Completion Act (CUPCA), enacted in 1992,
37 terminated some features and units of the CUP and authorized certain replacement features for
38 construction;
39 WHEREAS, among other things, CUPCA authorized the District to finish construction
40 and required the District to pay 35% of the costs of construction and the United States to
41 provide the remaining 65% of construction funding, subject to repayment by the District;
42 WHEREAS, while many of the features of the Bonneville Unit (BU) of the CUP have
43 been completed, lack of federal funding over the past several years has stalled construction of
44 the remaining features of the CUP;
45 WHEREAS, because the contract purchasers of project water from the District need the
46 CUP water in the immediate future, the District has felt compelled to advance its own funds to
47 meet the unfunded federal cost share to keep some construction advancing;
48 WHEREAS, because the United States Congress has failed to make up the difference in
49 funding in recent years, as well as not appropriating new construction funding, the CUP
50 features cannot be completed in a timely manner;
51 WHEREAS, Utah's population is projected to double by the year 2065;
52 WHEREAS, all of these new residents must have clean water to drink, food to eat, and
53 water to support continued and sustainable economic development within Utah's borders;
54 WHEREAS, completion of the CUP is critically important to meet the expanding
55 demand for water;
56 WHEREAS, over $3 billion have been expended for construction of the existing
57 features of the BU so far;
58 WHEREAS, without completion of the remaining features of the BU the full water
59 supply developed by the BU will not be available for use;
60 WHEREAS, until the water is available for use, the repayment obligation of the District
61 for this remaining increment of project water does not mature; and
62 WHEREAS, CUPCA, in addition to construction, also authorized a significant amount
63 of environmental restoration and rehabilitation, some of which has yet to be funded:
64 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
65 agrees to collaborate with Utah's congressional delegation in urging the new administration to
66 budget sufficient funds to fund construction of the remaining portions of the BU, including its
67 environmental components.
68 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah urges the
69 United States Congress to appropriate the budgeted funds to enable the CUP to be completed.
70 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be delivered to the
71 Majority Leader of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of
72 Representatives, the United States Department of the Interior, and the members of Utah's
73 congressional delegation.
Legislative Review Note
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel