SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands will seek to terminate US Magnesium's leases to operate on the Great Salt Lake after settlement discussions fell apart, FOX 13 News has learned.
In a court filing in a legal battle surrounding a waste pond on US Magnesium's site near Rowley, attorneys for the state and the mineral extraction company acknowledge they have been unable to come to a resolution and were evaluating "next steps." Asked what those next steps would be, Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands director Jamie Barnes told FOX 13 News: "We’re noticing up an administrative hearing which is an informal process with the Division to cancel US Mag’s lease agreement."
When pressed if that meant the company would no longer be able to operate on the Great Salt Lake, Barnes replied: "That's correct."
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US Magnesium has been a major operator on the lake for years. Recently, it has laid off workers and reduced some of its operations on the lake. That led to the state's concerns surrounding a waste pond — which the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands went to court over — alleging it posed a public and environmental risk because it was not being maintained and hazardous chemicals could leak into the Great Salt Lake. In a court hearing last year, US Magnesium's attorney disputed that it was posing a risk. A judge appointed a receiver to monitor for any concerns.
Asked for comment on the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands now seeking to terminate US Mag's leases on the lake, the company told FOX 13 News in a statement: "Due to the ongoing litigation matters, US Magnesium has no comment as to the specifics. However, US Magnesium is disappointed that a reasonable negotiated settlement with the State of Utah was not achieved."
US Magnesium has been criticized by environmental groups in the past. An environmental study claimed the company was responsible for as much as 25% of northern Utah's winter pollution problems (US Mag disputed it). On Friday, Piper Christian, an air and climate policy advisor for the group Stewardship Utah, called news of the state's next steps "great news for Utahns."
"US Magnesium has a long history of being a really bad neighbor to us on the Wasatch Front," she said.
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Stewardship Utah was among those who successfully lobbied the Utah State Legislature to pass a bill that targeted US Magnesium, regulating some of their emissions. Christian said the legislation will result in less pollution in northern Utah, even if US Magnesium isn't operating in the future.
"It is important that even if this lease is terminated with US Magnesium, that if any future company tries to mine magnesium on the shores of the Great Salt Lake? We have better pollution controls in place," she told FOX 13 News.
Utah's Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands is expected to hold an administrative hearing on US Mag's leases on the Great Salt Lake next month. If it does decide to terminate them, the company can ultimately go to the courts to challenge it.
"Great Salt Lake is important and we need to make sure people are operating responsibly out on the lake," Barnes said. "And we also need to make sure industry is contributing to the Great Salt Lake."
This article is published through the Great Salt Lake Collaborative, a solutions journalism initiative that partners news, education and media organizations to help inform people about the plight of the Great Salt Lake—and what can be done to make a difference before it is too late. Read all of our stories at greatsaltlakenews.org.
