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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Officials say more than 1,100 public comments were submitted for the proposed Lake Powell Pipeline designed to pump water to two southern Utah counties. The Spectrum reports the proposed 140-mile road is estimated to cost between $1 billion to $1.7 billion to be repaid over 50 years. Critics say the pipeline is an unnecessary use of funds. Bureau of Reclamation officials will consider all the comments before releasing a draft environmental impact statement. Officials say the draft is the first step in the year-long National Environmental Policy Act. Another public comment period will open after the department releases the draft.
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A conservation group can seek details from the Trump administration on whether it used the recommendations of a disbanded committee to craft policies on oil, gas and coal extraction. U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy says there is “a significant question" on whether the administration followed the advice of the Royalty Policy Committee. The industry-dominated panel was created under former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke to remove obstacles to natural resource extraction. It was disbanded last year, and Molloy later said it had been established illegally. The judge's ruling Thursday allows the Western Organization of Resource Councils to seek documents, depositions and other materials from the administration.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Snow coated the roads during the morning commute near Salt Lake City on Friday. The National Weather Service reports the storm dropped up to five inches within about four hours. In the mountains, some places saw more than a foot of snow. The Utah Highway Patrol says state government workers and some schools started on a delay, helping keep the number of accidents on icy roads to a relatively low 75. Other snowy days have seen hundreds of crashes. The storm system is forecast to move on and a winter-weather advisory will be lifted this evening.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Former Utah Republican party chair Thomas Wright is adding a political heavyweight to his run for governor by tapping outgoing Congressman Rob Bishop as his lieutenant-governor candidate. Bishop had already said he would not run for a ninth term in the U.S. House. He had considered running for governor himself before teaming up with Wright instead. Thursday's announcement comes as Wright looks to set himself apart in a crowded GOP field that also includes former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr. and current Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox.
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