This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee on Wednesday made water its first order of business. Namely, it unanimously endorsed a resolution calling on Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to heed west desert residents' wishes and wait for the best available science before signing an agreement with Nevada over how to share groundwater resources along the state line in the Snake ValleyÂ. The resolution's author, Rep. Richard Wheeler, R-EphraimÂ, concedes the unanimous vote lacks any real teeth. But he hopes it resonates as the state's negotiations with Nevada go forward - both in the governor's office and in Nevada. "These are life and death decisions for those residents," Wheeler said. Next step: Debate in the full House. - Joe Baird
