SALT LAKE CITY—While home in Utah during the Senate state work period, U.S. Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) joined U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox, Utah Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson, and Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez for the signing of the Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Agreement in Monument Valley. Later in the day, he curled with the Ukrainian National Curling Team at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns and attended the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) World Cup in Salt Lake City.
“While working with my colleagues on the bipartisan infrastructure bill, I made it clear that in this day and age, it is wholly unacceptable that forty percent of the Navajo Nation in Utah still lacks running water,” said Senator Romney. “I was proud to be a part of this decades-long effort to provide Navajo citizens with much-needed water and wastewater infrastructure.”
The Navajo Utah Water Rights Settlement Act, which is the result of decades of negotiation, recognizes and protects the reserved water rights of the Navajo Nation and will bring clean drinking water to the Navajo people in Utah. The legislation, introduced by Senator Romney, was authorized by Congress in 2020 and then fully funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the bipartisan infrastructure bill negotiated by Romney and his colleagues.
“With Putin’s unprovoked war raging in their home country, the Ukrainian National Curling Team has relocated to Utah for a safe place to live and train. The Olympic culture is ingrained in our state—Utahns love the Olympics, ” said Senator Romney. “It was an honor to curl with the Ukrainian Olympic curling team during their practice session and hear about their loved ones back home. I hope to be able to see them compete in Salt Lake City when the Olympics come back in 2030 or 2034.”
Senator Romney worked with United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee to bring the Ukrainian National Curling Team to Utah and provide them with a safe place to train. This effort was supported by the Ukrainian government.
“Athletes from around the world often find their way to Utah, which has become the hub for winter and summer sports in North America,” Senator Romney said. “I enjoyed attending the Sport Climbing World Cup—these athletes exhibit the greatness of the human spirit, and their commitment to sportsmanship and excellence is admirable. Utah loves sport, and I take great pride that our state continues to be a home for athletes to train and compete.”