Biden admin announces spending initiative will fund restoration of historic Utah courthouse

SALT LAKE CITY – The White House announced big spending to improve the Frank E. Moss U.S. Courthouse in Salt Lake City Tuesday.

This came as part of a visit from members of the U.S. General Services Administration to Utah. The funding is an effort to help pave another way to go green and take care of the climate.

The administration said half the funds will be used for low embodied carbon materials, like concrete, glass, and steel, that are mindful of greenhouse gas emissions during production. The rest of the money will be used for emerging sustainable technologies that will cut emissions.

Through this, the historic courthouse will run on 100% electric power.

The Moss Courthouse project, a $100 million renovation project that started in 2022, is part of the Federal Buy Clean Initiative and one of the 100 buildings announced to switch to all-electric heating, ventilation and air conditioning and water heating systems last summer.

The facelift for the 118-year-old historic building is something those speaking Tuesday said is going to make a lasting difference.

“Now, having been built over a hundred years ago, it should surprise no one that the building is in need of renovations repairs and some updating,” said Denise Maes, General Services regional administrator for Region 8.

“What we’re seeing is these once-in-a-generation infrastructure investments,” General Services’s Robin Carnahan said.

After the renovation, the administration said the building will use chilled beam technology, high-efficiency air handling units, electric boilers, and water heaters in its spaces. They said these improvements will help bring down energy usage.

Once the improvements are made, the building will house 10 federal agencies. This includes the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Citizenship, and Immigration Services.