Happy Friday from #OneUtah, a weekly update from the office of Gov. Spencer J. Cox. Here’s your recap of what we did this week, what's coming through the pipeline, and more.

Sending our prayers to Texas

We were absolutely devastated to learn about the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas. It’s hard to imagine a more heinous crime, and we pray for the students, educators, families, law enforcement officers, and everyone impacted by this senseless act of violence. Even as we mourn for the victims, we urge parents and students to download the SAFEUT app and to say something if you see warning signs.

We authorized the lowering of the U.S. and Utah state flags on all state facilities in accordance with President Joe Biden's proclamation honoring the victims who lost their lives in Uvalde. Flags should return to full-staff at sunset on Saturday, May 28.

A historic water rights agreement

We’re so honored to announce that today, after 18 years of negotiations, we signed the Utah Navajo Federal Reserved Water Rights Settlement Agreement.

We joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, Navajo Nation Assistant Attorney General Michelle Brown-Yazzie, Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson and Sen. Mitt Romney in celebrating the agreement, which recognizes and protects the reserved water rights of the Navajo Nation and will bring clean drinking water to the Navajo people in Utah. The settlement recognizes a reserved water right of 81,500 acre-feet of water for current and future use by the state of Utah. The federal government will pay the Navajo Nation more than $210 million and the state of Utah will contribute $8 million toward water projects on the Navajo Nation.

Sometimes the most important work done by government is done quietly on issues that don’t sound very exciting but which make a big difference in the lives of people. This is one of those times. May we use our success here to find solutions together on a host of other topics.

Another stellar jobs report ??

Utah's unemployment rate has fallen to a new low of 1.9% — one of the lowest recorded in state history and tied for lowest in the nation! The April national unemployment rate held steady at 3.6%. Our nonfarm payroll employment for April 2022 increased an estimated 3.9% across the past 12 months, which means the state’s economy added a cumulative 62,400 jobs since April 2021. Utah’s current job count stands at 1,664,800.

We're proud of the hard-working Utahns who contribute to the most robust economy in the nation. Read more here.

Visiting Millard County, Helper, and Moab

Visiting rural communities in Utah is a major priority for our administration. This month, we were lucky enough to spend some time in Millard County.

We met with local businesses, like Red Sky Technologies, LiquaDry and The Rancher. We visited Delta High School to chat with teachers and students, and met with city and county leaders. We also had the privilege to visit with the Delta Fire Department, an all-volunteer fire department that dates back to 1941. We so appreciate that each of these groups made time to speak with us.

We also stopped by the The Topaz Museum in Delta, which memorializes the more than 11,000 people of Japanese descent who spent time in this Utah internment camp between 1942 and 1945. We’re incredibly grateful to the Topaz Museum Board, a nonprofit volunteer organization, that preserves this important history so we don’t repeat it.

Later in the week, we stopped to visit Mayor Lenise Peterman of Helper and bumped into South Jordan Mayor Dawn Ramsay and Cameron Diehl of the Utah League of Cities and Towns. We also visited with Moab Mayor Joette Langianese and the good folks at the Moab Multicultural Center. We truly have so many good people doing good things in our state!

Addressing the baby formula shortage

We’re heartened to hear that more baby formula is making its way to Utah. The Utah Department of Health reports that hypoallergenic formulas, which are some of the specialty formulas that are in the shortest supply, will be directed to hospitals, doctors' offices, and pharmacies. In addition, the Utah WIC office is working with suppliers to increase the distribution of other formula brands to the state. And Abbott, which manufacturers formula, continues to crank out ready-to-feed liquid formulas (meaning they are premixed) and those are beginning to hit Utah grocery store shelves. All Utah WIC partner stores are prepared to receive this product and make it available. 

Read more about the formula shortage here and how to keep your infant safe here.

Drought update

This week’s drought updates are in, and water levels are low despite spring runoff. Of the 98 measured streams, 47 are flowing below normal, meaning that our reservoirs will not fill as they normally would. Eighteen of our largest 45 reservoirs are below 55% of available capacity, and our overall statewide storage is 63% of capacity. 99.86% of the state is in “severe” or “extreme” drought conditions, creating drier fuels that increase the chance of wildfire. 

As you can see, drought continues to impact our state, and some water districts are implementing restrictions, so check with your local provider before you make any garden plans. To those looking to help conserve water — hopefully all of you! — the division releases an extremely helpful Weekly Lawn Water Guide that you can find here.

Some other reminders:

Wait to water as long as possible. or until the temperatures are in the mid-70s for several consecutive days. Hold off and let nature’s sprinkler system do your watering. 

60% of residential water use is used for outdoor irrigation. Eliminating just one watering can save about 3,000 gallons for the average quarter-acre Utah yard with .17 acres of green space.

Don’t be too judgemental if you see early season watering – especially parks, schools or other large institutional properties. Oftentimes they are testing systems and tuning them up for the season. The other exception is watering to soak in fertilizer.

ICYMI

We had a great conversation about housing affordability with Dennis Shea of the Bipartisan Policy Center. Thanks to BPC for the invitation! Watch the discussion here.

The Salt Lake County Health Department confirmed that two adults in the same Salt Lake County household are monkeypox cases. Fortunately, monkeypox is not known to spread easily among humans. Both individuals are in isolation and do not present a risk to the greater public.

We’re seeing lots of misinformation around water and farming. It’s refreshing to hear from the experts that farming is good and should be preserved; alfalfa isn’t evil — and very little is sold overseas, and that new laws are huge, not “baby steps.” Read more in The Salt Lake Tribune.

It was so cool to see different religious groups come together and plant trees at St. Vincent de Paul Parish and School this past weekend. Thanks to Show Up Utah, Tree Utah, the Big Cottonwood Stake, and the Catholic, Muslim, and Greek Orthodox volunteers who helped make this happen!

Congratulations to the Salt Lake Community College Bruins on an incredible baseball season! We’re all very proud of you.

Expanding computer science education to every school in Utah opens doors for our students. This is a priority for our administration, and we support National Governors Association Chairman and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson's efforts to bolster K-12 computer science education.

Utah has signed on with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to participate in the “Internet for All” initiative, which will invest $65 billion to provide affordable, reliable, high-speed internet for everyone in America by the end of the decade. Learn more here.

Coming up

May 30: Join us for a special Memorial Day ceremony at the Utah State Capitol as we honor the brave men and women who have sacrificed so much defending our nation and freedoms. You can also watch online.

May 31: We’re helping kick off the 31st season of the Downtown Salt Lake City Farmers Market and celebrate the return to a full market in three years.

July 12: All Utah educators are invited to attend Show Up Utah’s free conference focused on professional and personal wellness. Learn more here.

#OneUtah agency highlight: Casey Cameron

Meet Casey Cameron, the executive director of the Utah Department of Workforce Services. Casey and her team work hard to assist individuals in preparing for and finding jobs, meet workforce needs of Utah businesses, administer temporary assistance, and provide economic data and analysis.

She has been instrumental in several significant departmental changes, such as helping to form the Eligibility Services and Workforce Development divisions, and we’re so lucky to have her on Team Utah! Learn more about Casey and the crucial work she and her team does here.

Get involved!

Looking for a new job opportunity? From great employee benefits to versatile work schedules, the career opportunities with the state are truly endless. Join Team Utah today! 

Those looking to volunteer can also consider more than 300 boards and commissions. Find out which openings are available and how you can get involved here!

Get in touch!

You can reach the Governor's Office here. And you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for the latest news and updates.

Contact the Governor's Office