Utah's new Great Salt Lake Commissioner on conservation, data centers and new water
Hannah Freeze, Utah's newly-appointed Great Salt Lake Commissioner, is focused on stabilizing the lake through water conservation efforts, including agricultural optimization. She is also actively monitoring proposed data center developments near the lake to assess their potential environmental impacts. Her office aims to provide recommendations to lawmakers and local communities regarding these developments.
Newly-appointed Great Salt Lake Commissioner Hannah Freeze has outlined her priorities, focusing on policies and programs to stabilize and refill the Great Salt Lake, which dropped to a historic low in 2022. Freeze, nominated by Governor Spencer Cox and awaiting confirmation by the Utah State Senate, emphasized the need for statewide water conservation, particularly within agriculture, and is exploring new water sources like re-directing water from the Newfoundland Basin.
A key part of her role involves monitoring potential environmental impacts on the lake, including those from proposed data center developments. Freeze stated her office is gathering facts to make informed recommendations to state lawmakers and local communities regarding these projects. Her nomination has garnered bipartisan support and praise from environmental groups like Friends of Great Salt Lake and the Utah Farm Bureau, who lauded her experience in agriculture and water management.