SEMA Legislative Alert - Bonneville

[DynoDave]

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URGENT: Tell Utah State Lawmakers to Save the Bonneville Salts Flats

DON’T DELAY! Please contact members of the Utah Executive Appropriations Committee ASAP to request their support for the State of Utah to appropriate $5 million to “Restore Bonneville”

Try the link below. There's a second link inside, which may auto-populate the email for you.

It didn't work for me, so I let SEMA know. They responded same-day with the list of addresses and text of the email...a simple cut and paste.

SEMA LINK

Or, copy and paste this.

Be sure to include “Please Fund the “Restore Bonneville” Program” as the subject of your message.

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Dear Appropriators:



As a motorsports enthusiast, I am writing ask you and other members of the Utah Executive Appropriations Committee to support a February 5, 2019 request made by Rep. Steve Handy that Utah fund $5 million for a state “Restore Bonneville” program. The money would leverage an additional $45 million from the federal government and approximately $2.5 million from the racing community.



The Restore Bonneville program would implement H.C.R. 8, a resolution sponsored by Rep. Handy and Sen. Peter Knudson in 2016 to support restoration of the Bonneville Salt Flats. The resolution was unanimously passed by the Utah House and Senate and signed by Governor Herbert.



The Bonneville Salt Flats are a unique land formation that bring visitors from around the world to Utah. For racers, the surface is unequaled. The hard salt crust is perfect for both speed and safety.



Bonneville is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and deemed an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. Until 1997, salt removed from Bonneville for potash processing under leases issued by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management was not replaced. Since that time, the mining company has pumped salt brine onto Bonneville.



The Restore Bonneville program will dramatically increase the volume of salt being pumped from the current levels of 0.6 million tons/year or less to as much as 1.5 million tons/year. As a result, the racing venue will gradually expand from its current length of about 8 miles toward with the goal of reaching the original 13-mile racing venue.



Thank you again for your support for restoring the Bonneville Salt Flats.

[DynoDave]

UPDATE: State of Utah Approves $5 Million to Restore Bonneville Salt Flats

Our voices were heard! Thanks to enthusiast and industry outreach in recent weeks, Utah state lawmakers have appropriated $5 million towards a program to restore the Bonneville Salt Flats. SEMA applauds the Utah legislature for authorizing these monies to fund the creation of a 10-year program to dramatically increase the amount of salt pumped onto Bonneville. The program is now contingent upon securing federal funds.

While this news is encouraging, our work is not complete. You will be asked in the near future to relay this same message to federal lawmakers in the U.S. Congress. In the meantime, please encourage others to get involved with the cause. Supporters can stay informed on this and other important issues by signing-up for the SEMA Action Network (SAN) without cost or obligation.

More information: www.sema.org/sema-enews/2019/11/state-of-utah-approves-5-million-to-restore-bonneville-salt-flats

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