Administrator Lee Zeldin Wraps Up Two-Day Trip to Utah Advancing Trump Administration Priorities
SALT LAKE CITY – U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin traveled to Utah last week for a two-day trip advancing various EPA priorities in the state.
On Friday, May 22, 2026, Zeldin joined Utah Governor Spencer Cox at his Operation Gigawatt summit in Park City. The Operation Gigawatt summit focused on bringing together policymakers, industry stakeholders, and others focused on the future of energy production in the United States. The two participated in a fireside chat where they discussed the various ways the Trump EPA continues to work with our state and local partners to both protect the environment and grow the economy.
At the conclusion of their remarks, Zeldin and Cox held a media availability with local press.
Afterwards, Administrator Zeldin met with Mountain Regional Water staff and toured their Signal Hill Water Treatment Plant. This facility received $38 million in Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) loan funding to plan, design, and construct improvements to increase treatment capacity and implement new treatment processes to help remove emerging contaminants. These upgrades will more than double the facility’s treatment capacity to accommodate the projected population growth within the Park City area. Additionally, the project will establish source reliability by improving treatment methods to address increased contaminants in the watershed that occurs during extreme events such as wildfires.
On Saturday, May 23, Administrator Zeldin joined U.S. Senator John Curtis, U.S. Congressman Blake Moore (UT-01), U.S. Congresswoman Celeste Maloy (UT-02), U.S. Congressman Mike Kennedy (UT-03), Utah Department of Environmental Quality (UDEQ) Commissioner Tim Davis, and other state leaders to see firsthand the ongoing environmental challenges surrounding the Great Salt Lake’s ecosystem. The group took a boat tour of the lake, focused on the immediate threats posed by historically low water levels and invasive species, among other topics. At the conclusion of the tour, Administrator Zeldin participated in a press conference with the elected officials where he outlined a variety of ways EPA is involved in preserving Great Salt Lake, along with highlighting President Trump’s $1 billion funding request in his FY27 budget to protect this body of water.
