"Utah Fireworks Law Sparks Confusion Amid Drought, Wildfire Risks"

"Fireworks bans are being enacted throughout the drought-stricken West as officials worry about wildfires—but in Utah, the situation is complicated by a law as murky as the air after a pyrotechnics display.

Gov. Spencer Cox (R), whose state is one of the region’s driest, said he’d impose a statewide fireworks ban if he could—but he lacks the legal authority. It’s unclear if local governments can ban them, either: Confusion reigns over who has the power to ban fireworks, as well as where and when it can be done.

The result has left Cox and other officials beseeching residents to forgo the firecrackers and pray for rain.

“I’m imploring you, each of you—to do the right thing,” he said at an event Wednesday with a group of firefighters and city officials. “And the right thing this year is to put your fireworks away. Please, please, please celebrate without personal fireworks.”"

Tripp Baltz reports for Bloomberg Environment July 2, 2021.

Source: Bloomberg Environment, 07/02/2021