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HB 419UTAHSession 2026State BillSigned into law
Enacted

Utah expands environmental lawsuit bond requirements to permit reviews by the Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining

Original title: Environmental Legal Action Amendments

Last action · March 25, 2026: Governor SignedSponsors: Colin Jack and 1 other

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓
Introduced
Committee
Floor Vote
Passed
Law

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What This Bill Does

Utah expands the definition of environmental actions requiring a bond for s or s to include judicial reviews of permits issued by the Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining, effective May 6, 2026.

Why it matters

Plaintiffs challenging certain state-issued environmental permits must post a or cash equivalent to cover opposing defendants' potential damages if the plaintiff fails to win on the merits.

Background
  • Utah's environmental action bond statute establishes financial safeguards for defendants when plaintiffs obtain preliminary injunctions or administrative stays during legal challenges against state-issued permits. context

Who It Affects

Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

plaintiffs in environmental actions

Plaintiffs seeking judicial review of permits issued by the Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining must now post a surety bond or cash equivalent to obtain a preliminary injunction or administrative stay.

Directly affected

defendants in environmental actions

Opposing defendants are protected by mandatory surety bonds and can recover damages from plaintiffs if the preliminary injunction or administrative stay causes harm and the plaintiff does not prevail.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an environmental action under this law?
An environmental action is a cause of action filed on or after May 10, 2011, that seeks judicial review of a final agency action to issue a permit by the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Transportation, the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, or now, the Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining.
What happens if a plaintiff obtains an injunction but loses the lawsuit?
The plaintiff is liable for damages sustained by any defendant who opposed the or , and the court will execute the posted to award those damages.
When does this law take effect?
The bill takes effect on May 6, 2026.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

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Where This Stands

Current status: Signed into law.

Procedural history

37 actions
  1. Mar 25, 2026Lieutenant Governor's office for filingEnrolled
    Governor Signed
  2. Mar 11, 2026House
    House/ to Governor
  3. Mar 11, 2026House
    House/ received enrolled bill from Printing
  4. Mar 6, 2026House
    House/ enrolled bill to Printing
  5. Mar 6, 2026Clerk of the House
    Enrolled Bill Returned to House or Senate
  6. Mar 2, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
    Draft of Enrolled Bill Prepared
Show 31 earlier actions
  1. Mar 2, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel / Enrolling
    Bill Received from House for Enrolling
  2. Feb 26, 2026House
    House/ signed by Speaker/ sent for enrolling
  3. Feb 26, 2026House
    House/ received from Senate
  4. Feb 26, 2026Senate
    Senate/ to House
  5. Feb 26, 2026Senate
    Senate/ signed by President/ returned to House
  6. Feb 26, 2026SenateFloor
    Senate/ passed 3rd reading
  7. Feb 26, 2026Senate
    Senate/ 3rd reading
  8. Feb 25, 2026SenateFloor
    Senate/ passed 2nd reading
  9. Feb 25, 2026Senate
    Senate/ 2nd reading
  10. Feb 19, 2026Senate
    Senate/ placed on 2nd Reading Calendar
  11. Feb 19, 2026Senate
    Senate/ committee report favorable
  12. Feb 18, 2026Senate
    Senate Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  13. Feb 17, 2026SenateCommittee
    Senate/ to standing committee
  14. Feb 12, 2026SenateIntroduced
    Senate/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  15. Feb 11, 2026Senate
    Senate/ received from House
  16. Feb 11, 2026House
    House/ to Senate
  17. Feb 11, 2026HouseFloor
    House/ passed 3rd reading
  18. Feb 11, 2026House
    House/ 3rd reading
  19. Feb 9, 2026House
    House/ 2nd reading
  20. Feb 9, 2026House
    House/ comm rpt/ placed on Consent Calendar
  21. Feb 6, 2026House
    House Comm - Consent Calendar Recommendation
  22. Feb 6, 2026House
    House Comm - Favorable Recommendation
  23. Feb 5, 2026HouseCommittee
    House/ to standing committee
  24. Feb 2, 2026Released
    LFA/ fiscal note publicly available for HB0419
  25. Feb 2, 2026Version Sponsor
    LFA/ fiscal note sent to sponsor for HB0419
  26. Jan 29, 2026HouseIntroduced
    House/ 1st reading (Introduced)
  27. Jan 29, 2026House
    House/ received bill from Legislative Research
  28. Jan 28, 2026Legislative Fiscal Agency
    LFA/ bill sent to agencies for fiscal input for HB0419
  29. Jan 28, 2026Legislative Fiscal Analyst
    LFA/ bill assigned to staff for fiscal analysis for HB0419
  30. Jan 28, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Numbered Bill Publicly Distributed
  31. Jan 28, 2026Legislative Research and General Counsel
    Bill Numbered but not Distributed

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Sponsors

Colin JackHouse · District 73RepublicanPrimary sponsor
David HinkinsSenate · District 26RepublicanCosponsor

Discoveries

1 pattern noticed across the record

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift95% confidence

Expansion of Bond Requirements to Mining Permits

The bill removes a specific statutory carve-out that previously exempted coal mining and reclamation permit reviews under Title 40, Chapter 10 from environmental action bond requirements.

Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining

Connected Entities

Department of Natural Resources, Colin W. Jack, School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration and 3 more
OrganizationDepartment of Natural Resources“Agency whose permit decisions are subject to environmental action bond requireme”Map →
PersonColin W. Jack“Chief Sponsor of HB 419”Map →
OrganizationSchool and Institutional Trust Lands Administration“Agency whose permit decisions are subject to environmental action bond requireme”Map →
PersonDavid P. Hinkins“Senate Sponsor of HB 419”Map →
OrganizationDepartment of Transportation“Agency whose permit decisions are subject to environmental action bond requireme”Map →
OrganizationDivision of Oil, Gas, and Mining“State agency issuing permits now included in environmental action definitions”Map →

Sources

Open source document

le.utah.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance60
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy50
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz25
    Current news / social attention level

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