Category: Featured

2022 State of the Environment

2022 was a year of successes for the Department of Environmental Quality, including transformational investments in communities, quality of life improvements without additional regulation, strengthened partnerships and significant progress on projects decades in the making.  In our annual State of the Environment  Report, each Division looks back at the previous year and highlights some of  their major accomplishments.

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Reducing Wood Smoke Pollution in Utah

The Division of Air Quality’s Wood Stove and Fireplace Conversion Assistance Program aims to combat wintertime air pollution by reducing smoke from wood burning. The program provides incentives for homeowners to convert their wood burning stoves or fireplaces into a natural gas, propane fueled, or electric appliance. 

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DEQ Receives State’s First Electric Truck

The state’s new all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning is now being driven by DEQ employees after it was delivered on Oct. 18. It’s the first of five electric trucks the state will add to its fleet in a continued effort to improve air quality.

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Cleanup underway at Jacobs Smelter Superfund site

Over twenty years after it was listed as a Superfund site by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), cleanup is finally underway at the Jacobs Smelter Superfund site in Stockton. The project was made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding.

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DEQ Names New Water Quality Director

DEQ Executive Director Kim Shelley has appointed John Mackey to serve as the new Director of the Division of Water Quality (DWQ). He has served as the Interim Director of the Division since April of this year.

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Moab + Uranium = Radon

Radon experts from the west and southwest region of the U.S. traveled to Moab in April to take part in the Region 8 Radon Conference. Moab was a uranium mining homestead for many and much of the area’s minerals have assisted with nuclear weaponry and energy for our country.

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Online Lawn Mower Exchange Cuts Pollution in Utah

Residents of Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, and Weber counties have the opportunity to upgrade their gas lawn mowers to battery-powered electric through the Online Lawn Mower Exchange program. Electric lawn mowers are quieter, easier to use, and better for Utah’s air.

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Help Clear the Air With Free Fare February

Utah Transit Authority (UTA) is offering free fares during the entire month of February. That includes UTA’s entire service area on all bus and rail services, Ski Bus, paratransit service, the Park City-SLC Connect, and UTA On Demand in southwestern Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City – Westside.

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Environmental Protection Agency Announces Cleanup at Utah Superfund Site: Jacobs Smelter to receive Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funds

The Environmental Protection Agency announced the Jacobs Smelter Superfund Site in Stockton, Utah, will receive Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding. The funds will provide critical cleanup and work to protect human and environmental health. The Stockton site is among 49 sites across the country benefiting from the $1 billion investment from the BIL. “This funding …

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Utah Department of Environmental Quality Celebrates 30th Anniversary: Safeguarding and Improving Utah’s Air, Land and Water Through Balanced Regulation Since 1991

On July 1, 1991 the Utah Department of Environmental Quality was born. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary it’s important to look back on how the agency was created. It was former Governor Norm Bangerter who suggested DEQ become its own agency. It was created by consolidating six environmental health bureaus housed in the Utah …

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Utah Students Challenged to Raise Awareness of Radon in Utah:
Elevated levels of radon found in 1 in 3 Utah homes tested

Utah students are invited to get creative and bring awareness of radon in Utah by participating in the 2021 National Radon Poster Contest. The Utah Department of Environmental Quality’s (DEQ) Radon Program is coordinating this year’s contest in partnership with the Center for Disease Control Epidemiology Tracking Program, local health departments and the U.S. Environmental …

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