Environment

HB 157 amends various Utah laws related to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). It changes how the DNR handles employee work periods, allows water rights records to be kept electronically or physically, and adjusts rules for water rights after contract issues. The bill removes a cap on low-interest loans for water metering, ends the Alternative Energy Development Tax Credit Act, and repeals funding rules for a watershed program. It appropriates $5 million from the General Fund for DNR operations in fiscal year 2027. The changes primarily affect DNR staff, water rights holders, and entities managing water resources in Utah.

HB 263 requires a registration fee for heavy duty vehicles (over 14,000 pounds gross weight) with a 2009 or older model year, excluding farm tractors and trucks. The fee revenue must be deposited into Utah's Environmental Mitigation and Response Fund. This bill updates vehicle registration codes to establish the fee and directs its funding source, with no new money appropriated. It directly affects owners of older heavy commercial vehicles registered in Utah.

SB 176 requires Utah state agencies to purchase electric-powered landscape maintenance equipment when replacing old gasoline-powered equipment for routine outdoor care (like mowing or trimming) on state government grounds. It applies specifically to properties in counties classified as first or second class with less than 50,000 square feet of maintained grounds. Exceptions allow exemptions if electric equipment is impractical due to terrain features or during emergencies. The law takes effect on May 6, 2026, and does not appropriate new funding.