What do stocks and bonds have to do with the shrinking Great Salt Lake? A lot more than you might think.
In a new article published in the Environmental Law Reporter, Great Salt Lake Project co-leads Elisabeth Parker and Brigham Daniels collaborate with coauthors Abigail Allen and Corinne Doerner to explore a consequential but often overlooked angle of the lake’s decline: securities liability.
As the lake recedes, the consequences extend far beyond environmental degradation. Toxic dust storms, reduced snowpack, and destabilized ecosystems are creating serious risks to public health and economic stability. But the authors argue it’s also critical to examine how these risks create growing financial liabilities for publicly traded companies and local governments across the Wasatch Front.
Under existing securities law, companies are required to disclose material risks to investors. The article contends that as Great Salt Lake continues to decline, more businesses and municipalities—far beyond those directly dependent on the lake—may soon face new obligations to report financial impacts, including everything from diminished property values to impaired challenges with workforce recruitment and lost revenue from winter sports.
The takeaway is clear: Restoring Great Salt Lake isn’t just an ecological necessity. It’s a financial one.
To learn more about how environmental crises like the one facing Great Salt Lake could trigger a wave of financial disclosure obligations—and why that might be the wake-up call Utah needs—read the full article.
Check out this Salt Lake Tribune article about Parker and Daniels’ legal analysis and the affects of the Great Salt Lake’s decline.