Two proposed agreements, totaling approximately $12 million, have been negotiated by the State of Utah and The Ensign-Bickford Company (EBCo) to conduct clean up and to settle the State’s claim for damages to groundwater resulting from activities at the Trojan facility in Spanish Fork, Utah.

The agreements include a $9.375 million fund for pumping and treating the groundwater and a $2.58 million Trust Fund for natural resource damage. The purpose is to “restore, replace, or acquire the equivalent” of the injured groundwater for the benefit of the public in the impacted area.

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10:33:08 AM    

Gov. Olene Walker announced this week she will delay the release of her tax reform plan in order to allow time for complete data analysis.  Walker originally proposed to release the plan in August, but to allow for further development of the proposal, a future release date has yet to be set.

"I knew eight months ago this would be a time consuming and tedious task," said Walker. "We are fortunate to have such a comprehensive data set available in Utah and have realized we need additional time to analyze it before a complete plan can be presented."

Walker has identified six principles to guide her reform effort.  She believes the tax system should:

• Be fair, just and balanced.
• Support a business-friendly economic environment
• Focus on funding critical needs - primarily education.
• Have structural balance - the state must maintain its bond rating.
• Be a tax system for the 21st Century.
• Balance state and local obligations and revenue sources.

"My objective is to help Utahns understand the critical need for tax reform and to create a basic dialogue among all citizens regarding what our future tax system should look like," Walker said.

10:30:26 AM