Ben Winslow is a reporter with FOX 13 covering a variety of topics including government, the Great Salt Lake, vice and polygamy.
SALT LAKE CITY — A tough new audit prepared for Utah legislative leaders finds taxpayers may not be getting all the money they're entitled to when it comes to mineral extraction on the Great Salt Lake, nor is the state exercising enough oversight of the companies taking those minerals.
In one instance, the Legislative Auditor-General found that varying rates for sodium chloride resulted in an annual deficit of about $170,000 to the state. While the revenue losses may not have short-term impacts, auditors wrote that it could lead to long-term cumulative impacts. This year, the Utah State Legislature passed a major bill that reworked how mineral extraction companies operate on the Great Salt Lake. It was run in response to the environmental crisis facing the lake, which dropped to a record low in 2022.
The audit also urged Utah's Division of Forestry, Fire & State Lands to better track money it does get and how it benefits the Great Salt Lake.
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