SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Mitt Romney’s bill to study ways to save the Great Salt Lake passed through the Senate yesterday, but only after it got wrapped into a much larger water resources bill.

Sen. Romney’s Great Salt Lake Recovery Act included ten million dollars for the Army Corps of Engineers to study in order to stop the lake’s further decline, along with other saline lakes in the West.

Romney’s bill got folded into the much larger Water Resources Development Act of 2022, which pays for water development projects all over the country. It passed the Senate on Thursday in a vote of 93 to 1.

Now that it’s reached the House, the bill has the backing of three of Utah’s four representatives; Reps. Chris Stewart, John Curtis, and Burgess Owens.

The representatives, along with Romney, released a joint statement saying “The rest of the country is now understanding the widespread repercussions of a diminished Great Salt Lake. We must be willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure we preserve this iconic body of water.”

The statement added that the passage of the bill highlights a sense of urgency about protecting the Great Salt Lake.

Romney, Owens and Stewart also took to social media to celebrate the bill’s passage through the Senate.

The Great Salt Lake’s dropping levels are a serious threat to our economy and environment. Today’s Senate passage of our legislation highlights the sense of urgency that’s needed to preserve and protect this critical body of water for generations to come.https://t.co/cdSk7Bd0PR

— Senator Mitt Romney (@SenatorRomney) July 28, 2022

Our Great Salt Lake Recovery Act just advanced through the Senate, moving us one step closer to saving the long-term health of Utah’s iconic body of water from historic drought conditions. Let’s get it passed in the House and signed into law!

— Rep. Burgess Owens (@RepBurgessOwens) July 28, 2022

We must maintain, preserve, and protect the Great Salt Lake now and for future generations. pic.twitter.com/7XDQDnU932

— Rep. Chris Stewart (@RepChrisStewart) July 28, 2022