Utah lawmakers have shut down a measure that would have mandated transparency around water applied on Utah golf courses, arguing the public might draw “uninformed” conclusions if these facilities were required to reveal how much water they use.
Even after HB288 sponsors agreed to dramatically water down the bill, on Friday the House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee declined to advance the measure for a vote on the House floor. Republican members said the bill unfairly singled out one water-intensive industry for scrutiny and sends a message that golf courses waste water.
“They do their best to make sure the grass receives just the right amount of water so it doesn’t create mud holes,” Rep. Thomas Peterson, R-Brigham City, said at an earlier committee hearing. “These are substantive investments; communities make it. Golf is a significant driving force in our community. It seems like we are publicly shaming them.”
Friday’s vote came after the substance of HB188 was replaced with new language that dropped public disclosure requirements in favor of a 5-year study into how the state’s 115 golf courses and driving ranges use water. But it also barred public disclosure of any of the data generated by the study.
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