HCR 9: Concurrent Resolution Addressing the Great Salt Lake - Utah

Substitute #3 → Enrolled · 5 edits · Mar 25, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was updated to add new cosponsors and modify several key provisions regarding the Great Salt Lake restoration. The most significant change is the addition of specific clauses acknowledging President Trump's recognition of the lake's restoration as a national priority and his willingness to support the effort. Additionally, the bill now explicitly requests that federal assistance supplement rather than replace state efforts and prioritize voluntary solutions. Other changes include removing a specific mention of climate change as a cause for the lake's decline and updating the timeline for water donations from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include specific political endorsements and stricter conditions on how federal funds should be used, shifting from a general request for aid to a more detailed negotiation framework.

ELIGIBILITY

Added cosponsors to the bill, expanding the legislative support for the resolution.

REQUIREMENT

Added new WHEREAS clauses stating that President Trump recognized the lake's restoration as an urgent national priority and expressed willingness to support Utah.

Modified the request for federal assistance to specify that funding should supplement, not supplant, state initiatives and should prioritize voluntary and market-based solutions.

Removed the specific mention of 'climate change' as a threat to the lake, replacing it with 'years of drought' in the list of causes for the lake's decline.

DEFINITION

Removed the specific detail that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is donating water 'in perpetuity' from the text.

Introduced → Substitute #1 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was completely rewritten to shift focus from addressing the national debt to stabilizing the Great Salt Lake. The original text urging Congress to balance the federal budget was removed and replaced with language requesting federal assistance for environmental restoration. This change alters the bill's purpose from a fiscal policy statement to a specific environmental and infrastructure request.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from a general fiscal resolution regarding the national debt to a specific resolution requesting federal aid for the Great Salt Lake restoration project.

SCOPE

Removed all provisions related to the national debt, including statistics on debt levels, warnings from national security officials, and calls for a balanced federal budget.

Added provisions detailing the ecological and economic importance of the Great Salt Lake, including its role in supporting migratory birds, producing seafood, and serving as a source of critical minerals.

REQUIREMENT

Added a requirement for federal assistance to supplement rather than replace state efforts, while prioritizing voluntary solutions and respecting state water laws.

TIMELINE

Included a specific timeline goal to restore the lake ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympic Games.

ELIGIBILITY

Changed the target recipients of the resolution from the U.S. Congress to the President, Congress, and federal agencies.

Substitute #2 → Substitute #3 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated from a 2026 session to a 2026 session with a new substitute version, changing the formatting and adding a proposal by Nate Blouin. Substantive policy changes include adding 'unsustainable water diversion' and 'climate change' as causes for the lake's decline, noting that current efforts 'continue to fall short of success,' and stating that restoration will require sacrifice from the agricultural industry. The text also removed specific references to President Trump's 2026 recognition of the issue and replaced them with a broader statement that multiple administrations have recognized the urgency.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's factual background was expanded to include climate change and unsustainable water diversion as causes for the lake's decline, and to explicitly state that current state efforts are insufficient and will require agricultural sacrifice.

REQUIREMENT

Added 'unsustainable water diversion' and 'climate change' to the list of threats causing the lake's decline.

Added a new clause stating that restoring the lake will require sacrifice from the agricultural industry, which uses two-thirds of the basin's water.

Removed specific references to President Trump's February 2026 recognition of the issue and his 'Make the Great Salt Lake Great Again' comment.

Replaced the specific reference to President Trump with a broader statement that 'multiple U.S. administrations' have recognized the urgency and committed funding.

SCOPE

Changed the description of state efforts from a list of actions to a statement that these efforts 'continue to fall short of success'.

Substitute #1 → Substitute #2 · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was updated to reflect a new date and time stamp, changed the title to indicate it is a second substitute version, and modified several 'Whereas' clauses to use more general language regarding the lake's decline and restoration efforts. The most significant substantive change is the addition of new clauses requesting a specific federal-state memorandum of understanding with cost-sharing commitments and a 2034 milestone, alongside a new clause urging the congressional delegation to pursue emergency funding.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's requests expanded to include specific demands for a formal federal-state agreement and a timeline for recovery, moving from general appeals for assistance to structured negotiations.

TECHNICAL

The header date and time were updated from February 26, 2026, to March 3, 2026, and the title was changed to '2nd Sub.' to reflect the new version of the bill.

SCOPE

Specific references to the lake's decline were broadened; for example, the claim that it will reach a 'new record low this year or next' was changed to the more general 'record lows,' and specific details about snow melting were softened to 'may contribute' and 'may potentially expose'.

REQUIREMENT

New clauses were added requesting the federal government to negotiate a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that includes cost-sharing commitments and a specific 2034 milestone for the lake's recovery.

A new clause was added urging Utah's congressional delegation to actively pursue authorizing legislation and emergency appropriations to fund the restoration project.

The clause regarding President Trump's recognition was updated to include a specific quote about making the lake 'Great Again' and changing the recipient list to include 'appropriate federal executive branch agencies'.

Concurrent Resolution Addressing the Great Salt Lake

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