Issue Position: Growth

Issue Position

Utah is growing at a fast pace, and the people of Utah's District 6 understand better than anyone the prosperity and pain associated with fast growth. Lehi is the fastest growing city in Utah, and one of the fastest growing in the U.S.

Led by a fast-growing Lehi, the latest projections suggest the state will double its population by 2050 to 2060. While economic growth, and the associated rise in population are welcome, the Utah Legislature must focus on long-term critical projects that accommodate this growth: transportation, water supply, air pollution, and education.

Roads and Transportation: I encourage cost effective, well managed improvements to the roadways and highways throughout Utah. I support mass transit options, but I am cautious in approaching funding UTA projects. I voted for SB277, which provided funding necessary to begin work on I-15 through Lehi and Thanksgiving Point 2-3 years ahead of the project's originally planned start date. I support continued research into possible and workable user-based transportation fees to fund continued transportation needs and maintenance as an alternative to continued skyrocketing fees funded by the taxpayer through the state's general fund.

Water: Utah is the second driest state in the country. Utahns pay the lowest prices for water while using the most gallons of water per person per day than any other state in the country. To provide the necessary water for a growing population, I will support initiatives to increase sensible conservation, manageable water costs based on supply and demand, and efficient improvements and additions to the water-supply infrastructure. I strongly encourage Utahns to find ways on their own to conserve water. I also encourage Utahns to begin a trend to zero-scape landscaping of their personal and commercial properties to conserve water. However, I resist state regulations mandating zero-scape.

Air Quality: Over the past decade, air-quality in Utah has greatly improved and continues to improve. Still, there is much we can all do to help continue the trend to cleaner air. I support responsible and cost-effective ways to improve air quality, and I support the conversion to Tier 3 gasoline. During the 2017 Legislative Session, I voted in favor of SB197, a law to greatly speed the conversion of gasoline in Utah from Tier 2 to Tier 3. Once the conversion is complete, the move will enhance air quality by eliminating more of the vehicle pollutants we see today.

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