Ben Abbott, a BYU professor, poses for a portrait at a Utah Lake overlook on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. It appears lawmakers and lobbyists retaliated against scientists who didn't support the Utah Lake dredging and islands project and Abbott had state funding cut for a watershed research project.
drummed up support for a bill directing the Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands to determinein early December 2021 announcing LRS had received its EPA loan. Some digging by the then-director of the Division of Water Quality revealed the company hadn’t even been invited to apply for funds. investigated heavy sediment pollution and runoff after 2018 mega-wildfires like the Bald Mountain FireBarely a week after the Vineyard meeting, an LRS investor texted Hartley asking if Steve Styler, another lobbyist working for LRS, had “cut” Abbott’s funding.“Before the legislative session started,” Hartley replied, “Brady Brammer said he was going to cut Ben’s funding. ...
“We are submitting another ... request that we hope to use to fund the final year of research project,” the spokesperson said. “These projects are contingent upon legislative funding approval.” “We were disappointed that representation on the ULA board did not include American Fork City,” he wrote in an email, “considering our extensive shoreline boundary and operation and maintenance of a key marina on the north side of Utah Lake. We look forward to the day our voices are heard.”
“Why was that hidden from the public?” Climenson said. “To this day, it does not appear in the public legislative record.” “I was frustrated with the pace of improvements on the lake and the paralysis based on LRS’ proposal,” the lawmaker said.In his email to Climenson, however, Brammer wrote he felt LRS had the ability to “scuttle” his Utah Lake Authority legislation. Asked why he believed LRS had that kind of influence, Brammer responded, “they could get the votes.