HB 378 Fugitive Dust Mitigation Amendments

Short Description: Addresses fugitive dust mitigation at aggregate operations.
Sponsor(s): Rep. Gricius
Impact: Positive
Bill Number: HB 378
Position: Support
Status: Passed
Past Hearings:
2/3 House Public Utilities

2/19 Senate Business and Labor
Floor Debates:
2/12 House 3rd Reading

2/25 Senate 3rd Reading

HB 378 Fugitive Dust Mitigation Amendments

Creates a modest new framework for addressing fugitive dust emissions from large dust-producing sites such as aggregate pits, excavation projects, and bulk material handling facilities. The bill authorizes the Utah Division of Air Quality and the Utah Air Quality Board to implement a tiered annual aggregate compliance fee for aggregate operations based on the amount of air pollution they emit, beginning in 2027. The fee is relatively small, ranging from up to $750 for smaller emitters to $4,500 for the largest, and is intended to help support oversight and compliance efforts related to dust-producing activities.

The bill also increases transparency around dust-generating operations by requiring facilities that produce fugitive dust to post public signage at site entrances identifying the facility, its permit number, and contact information for both the operator and regulators.

From an air quality perspective, the bill’s impact is primarily administrative and transparency-focused rather than regulatory. It does not establish new dust control standards or emission limits, but it provides the state with a funding mechanism tied to emissions and gives the public clearer information about dust-producing sites. Over time, this could modestly improve oversight and compliance with existing fugitive dust control plans, an important source of PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀ pollution along the Wasatch Front and other developing areas of Utah.