USU report highlights Utah’s environmental challenges for lawmakers, students
Utah State University’s latest environmental report shows how issues involving land, water and air are likely to shape daily life for Utah residents in the years ahead.
The university released its annual Report to the Governor and Legislature on Utah’s Land, Water, and Air this week, offering a condensed look at the research informing policy decisions on water supply, air quality and public land management. Compiled by USU’s Institute for Land, Water & Air, the report is designed to give lawmakers quick, accessible guidance as they navigate some of the state’s environmental challenges.
Anna McEntire, the institute’s managing director, said accessibility is central to the report’s purpose. Legislators, she said, often have only minutes to absorb information before key votes.
“They are required to know a little about so many different topics,” McEntire said. “You’ve got five seconds — you could either read a headline, a takeaway or a caption and you learn a little bit. If you have five minutes, you can read it closer and understand a little bit more.”
The topics included in the report come from a wide network of contributors throughout Utah. McEntire said each section responds to a question someone in the state is actively asking. One example is a section that explains the science behind airplane contrails, added after lawmakers requested help addressing misinformation.
“We’ve had a lot of people who have been asking questions about contrails that people see in the sky. There’s been a lot of conspiracy theories that they’re actually full of chemicals,” McEntire said. “We were able to tap one of our researchers here to say, ‘Hey, can you just explain the science of what we see in the air when we see an airplane fly by?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s simple science.’”
The report uses the same principle, highlighting issues appearing across the state to spotlight lesser-known topics as well.
One such entry examines Utah’s fast-growing cut-flower industry, which USU agriculture faculty identified as an emerging sector tied to water use and urban agriculture.
“It’s a story that people don’t know about, and it’s not a huge, ‘Save the Great Salt Lake’ story, but it was one that we weren’t aware of,” McEntire said. “That’s part of what this process is — what should we be elevating that’s happening in the state that people might not be aware of?”
Now in its fifth year, the report not only introduces new topics but also returns to ongoing environmental challenges. A recurring example is an air quality graph included every year showing steady emissions improvements along the Wasatch Front.
“We certainly have challenges and problems, but if you look at the actual data of how things are going, we’re actually doing better over time with the amount of emissions,” McEntire said. “That’s a big success story that we’re trying to talk about. The more people know about different types of air pollution, the more we can have a conversation about what the specific problems are.”
McEntire emphasized recognizing long-term improvements in emissions is important, but she said the report also wants to spark more detailed conversations about different types of pollution. USU environmental engineering student Elisabeth Ludington agreed, praising the report’s ability to show how connected Utah’s environmental issues are.
“When people talk about health, they like to talk about the holistic approach, right? You can’t just solve this one symptom. You have to solve the whole problem, and I think that’s what they’re trying to do with this report,” Ludington said. “It’s hard to solve one symptom without affecting anything else. You have to look at the problem as a whole.”
The report shows how environmental issues are interconnected and also serves as a valuable tool for students to better understand Utah’s natural resources, according to USU civil and environmental engineering professor Brian Crookston, who contributed a section.
“I think students are sensitive to some of the things we’re experiencing in the climate,” Crookston said. “I think students are aware of periods of drought with big snowpack and how rivers are responding, but I think the report would be really helpful to give more information on some of those details.”
Crookston said students may notice the effects of climate and water changes, but by reading the report online through USU’s Institute for Land, Water & Air, they can learn context and data to better understand what’s happening. McEntire said the goal is to make statewide environmental issues tangible for young people, showing how policy decisions today will shape the communities they will live in.
“Whether you are a business major, an art major or a communications major, you should have some knowledge or care about these things,” McEntire said. “How are they going to afford a house or what are their future lawns going to look like? Those are the types of things that if you don’t care about it now, you will care about it in five years, and you can get smart on it pretty quickly if you spend 10 minutes flipping through.”