Sen. Jerry Stevenson, a Republican from Davis County and a member of the MIDA board, is sponsoring Senate Bill 316.
If passed, it would allow MIDA to do its own environmental reviews, often required before development can begin. It would also change how the authority can use sales tax revenue it collects.
MIDA’s new Utah Army National Guard project area, covering almost 30 sites across the state, would be most affected by the proposed changes. That’s according to MIDA spokesperson Kristin Kenney Williams.
She told KPCW the National Guard requested these changes, not MIDA, the state agency originally created to serve veterans and military members. It’s governed by appointed, not elected, officials. In Wasatch County, MIDA is driving the development of Deer Valley East Village and other major projects.
Environmental reviews happen before construction to assess whether a project would negatively impact the surrounding environment or nearby residents.
Williams told KPCW that MIDA previously hired external contractors to conduct environmental reviews. The new legislation would allow MIDA to control that review process.
SB316 would also allow MIDA to use sales tax revenue in different ways.
The bill says MIDA can “enter into an agreement to use revenue generated from a project area outside the project area” under certain circumstances.
Williams said that means, when projects are on state-owned land, MIDA and the state can create a contract for how and where to spend revenue from those projects. She said that section of the bill is meant for the new National Guard project area.
MIDA leaders have said they envision developing nuclear microreactors and AI data centers on those properties.
The bill specifically discusses sales tax revenue from construction materials.
“This will ensure that the areas highly impacted by these large construction projects receive the sales tax collected on those construction materials,” Williams said.
The legislation states this portion of the bill would also apply to certain “qualified development zones,” such as the Fairpark district created during last year’s legislative session.
She said revenue generated by MIDA developments in Wasatch County would not be used for MIDA’s work elsewhere.
SB316 had its first reading in the Senate Monday morning, Feb. 24.
