On November 8, Carbon County voters overwhelmingly approved a referendum to allow the county to borrow up to $10 million to help improve water quality, working farms and wildlife habitat protection, according to KPVI.   The vote was 21,014 to 4,394.

Dan Kunkle, with Carbon County Citizens for Water, Farms and Land, called the 82.71% approval overwhelming.

“It was a big success,” he said Wednesday. “Thanks to everyone who made this happen.”

He said the grassroots campaign crisscrossed the county and conducted a media campaign.

“We’ve been saying for the last nine months people of Carbon County love their natural resources,” Kunkle said.

But the referendum still needs the approval of county Commissioners Rocky Ahner, Chris Lukasevich and Wayne E. Nothstein. Lukasevich issued a statement Wednesday in which he said voters have issued “a clear mandate to make the necessary financial investment to preserve it proactively.”

He said the next step is to consider “composition of an advisory board and consulting with the board’s financial adviser on seeking bond counsel for an eventual bond issuance.”

Kunkle, calling it a “resounding mandate,” is optimistic about what the commissioners will do.

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Return On Environment

A 2018 Carbon County Return on Environment report by the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce found open space and natural resources generate over $800 million annually in avoided costs for natural system services, air pollution removal, revenues from outdoor recreation and more.  Read more here.

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[Posted: November 10, 2022]

11/14/2022