While it’s nice to learn that Sen. Mitt Romney and Reps. Chris Stewart and Burgess Owens are asking for $10 million in federal dollars to study ways to replenish the Great Salt Lake and other Great Basin saline lakes, these so-called solutions: funneling water to the lake through desalination, pipelines, and canal reinforcement are just a distraction from the primary cause of the lake’s decline: climate disruption.
While it is essential to understand the biology of saline lakes, none of the “solutions” in this bill address the underlying problems of the western U.S. experiencing a prolonged period of aridification with no end in sight. Romney is one of few Republican senators acknowledging the underlying problem of human-caused climate change and understands the urgent need for carbon pricing. Others sit on the sidelines even though the majority of Americans want climate action.
The Great Salt Lake and residents of the western U.S. need a real solution in the form of a carbon fee and dividend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the underlying cause of the declining lake. Learn about a carbon fee and dividend at the Citizens’ Climate Lobby: https://citizensclimatelobby.org/.
Canadians are receiving their first dividend checks this month.
Jean M. Lown, Logan