The State of Utah recently announced the purchase of US Magnesium, a landmark action that positions the state to directly address one of the largest industrial air pollution sources affecting the Wasatch Front and to significantly reduce water withdrawals from the Great Salt Lake.
Analysis of data collected during NOAA research flights in 2017 brought to our attention that emissions from the US Magnesium refinery contain high levels of halogen emissions (chlorine and bromine) and may account for a substantial share of the fine particulate pollution that contributes to the dense wintertime pollution that gets trapped during inversions and degrades regional air quality. State ownership enables Utah to take immediate, enforceable steps to prioritize public health outcomes that were previously difficult to achieve under private ownership.
A 2023 study led by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences confirmed that the US Magnesium plant was a producer of high levels of halogen emissions, leading Governor Cox to ask the EPA to include it within the Northern Wasatch Front ozone nonattainment area. “This is a common sense investment in Utah’s future, and in one of our most important natural resources,” Governor Cox said in a social media post earlier this week.
“The purchase of US Magnesium has the potential to become one of Utah’s greatest air quality success stories. There were real limitations on what the Division of Air Quality could do to meaningfully address halogen emissions from this facility, and Utahns paid the price with their health. State ownership finally gives Utah the tools to fix a problem that communities have lived with for far too long,” said Ashley Miller, Executive Director of Breathe Utah.
The purchase also allows Utah to protect Great Salt Lake water levels and limit further exposure of the lakebed. Reduced lakebed exposure directly lowers the risk of wind-blown dust and associated pollutants, which have been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular harm for communities throughout northern Utah.
“This is a decisive investment in Utah’s future,” said state leaders. “By taking control of this facility, Utah is protecting public health, safeguarding the Great Salt Lake, and demonstrating that clean air and responsible resource management are fundamental to the state’s economic and environmental resilience.”
A monumental win for Utah.
