LETTER: Refill the Great Salt Lake

Dear Chairman Fleischmann and Ranking Member Kaptur:

American Conservation Coalition Action, the nation’s largest conservative environmental organization with thousands of grassroots members nationwide, writes in strong support of President Trump’s FY27 budget request of $1 billion to restore and protect the Great Salt Lake, America’s largest saltwater lake and a unique economic and ecological asset for the entire nation. 

The Great Salt Lake is our natural heritage, and we have a responsibility to steward it for future generations. Unfortunately, the lake is facing an unprecedented crisis. Low water levels threaten nearby communities with toxic dust exposure, jeopardizing the health of millions of Americans, while simultaneously risking the collapse of vital industries—including brine shrimp and mineral extraction—that contribute billions to the national economy. At the same time, these declines threaten America’s wildlife. Ten million birds from over 400 species stop at the Great Salt Lake every year. These birds, including waterfowl greatly valued by the sporting community, migrate to every state in the country and across the Western Hemisphere. 

With federal support, the State of Utah is committed to doing what no state – or country – has ever done before: restore a declining saline lake. Last year, the state set a goal to restore the Great Salt Lake in time for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City. Utah leaders signed the Great Salt Lake 2034 Charter, committing hundreds of millions of dollars in private commitments to restore and protect the lake. These funds, provided from citizens and businesses, will support proven strategies to restore the lake, including through voluntary market-based approaches, municipal water conservation, and habitat restoration. 

While Utah’s patriotic leadership provides a strong down payment toward restoring and protecting the Great Salt Lake, they are not adequate alone. Congress must provide additional programmatic federal funding necessary to accelerate the pace and scale of on-the-ground projects identified through the state’s Great Salt Lake Strategic Plan and connected efforts in the basin.Given the urgency of addressing the lake’s declining water levels under coordination of Governor Cox, we respectfully request the committee include at least $500 million in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations bill through the Bureau of Reclamation’s Water and Related Resources account. 

This is a critical portion of a broader $1 billion total across other relevant departmental funding accounts, necessary to advance the President’s budget request and support current state and local efforts to restore and protect the lake. 

To ensure these funds are deployed effectively and in alignment with state priorities, we request that the Subcommittee structure the appropriations in line with Utah’s leadership. We further support direction from Congress to the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Reclamation to work collaboratively with the State of Utah and the Great Salt Lake Commissioner’s Office to develop a detailed spend plan for the appropriations. This plan should align with the Great Salt Lake Strategic Plan and ongoing restoration, water addition, and protection efforts led by the State, business, and conservation groups.

Securing this funding in the FY27 Energy and Water Development appropriations bill is a vital step toward protecting our shared natural heritage, advancing what no nation has yet achieved, and ensuring the Great Salt Lake remains a vibrant economic and ecological engine for generations to come.

We appreciate your leadership and your consideration of this urgent request.

Sincerely,

American Conservation Coalition Action