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8 LONG TITLE
9 General Description:
10 This concurrent resolution encourages the adoption of emissions reduction goals.
11 Highlighted Provisions:
12 This resolution:
13 ▸ recognizes Utah's tradition of modeling collaborative and innovative solutions to
14 challenges;
15 ▸ recognizes the unique challenges that Utah faces with air quality;
16 ▸ recognizes the negative impact that poor air quality and the changing climate has on
17 the economy of the state;
18 ▸ recognizes the recommendations by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute presented
19 in the Utah Roadmap to adopt emissions reduction targets; and
20 ▸ supports goals to reduce emissions in the coming decades.
21 Special Clauses:
22 None
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24 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
25 WHEREAS, Utah has a proud tradition of modeling collaborative and innovative
26 solutions to challenges based on "The Utah Way";
27 WHEREAS, communities in Utah have struggled with poor air quality since the first
28 settlers arrived;
29 WHEREAS, the first air quality ordinance was enacted in 1891, five years before Utah
30 became a state;
31 WHEREAS, Utah's majestic topography poses challenges to addressing air quality and
32 requires innovative solutions that are unique to Utah;
33 WHEREAS, Utah's economy and population have grown significantly over the last two
34 decades even as average emissions levels have fallen or remained flat, demonstrating that
35 emissions reduction is consistent with economic growth;
36 WHEREAS, Utah's air quality challenges and changing climate hinder Utah businesses'
37 ability to recruit and retain employees and grow their businesses in the state;
38 WHEREAS, climate change has resulted in reduced snowpack, more intense wildfires,
39 and diminished water resources, causing significant challenges for Utah's $12.3 billion outdoor
40 recreation economy that supports over 110,000 jobs in the state;
41 WHEREAS, embracing low and zero-emissions technologies will support Utah's 2030
42 Winter Olympics bid and help grow our state's robust clean technology sector;
43 WHEREAS, good air quality is a vital component of the economy and human health in
44 Utah and research conducted by Utah universities shows the harmful impacts of air pollution
45 on human health, with the greatest negative impact on the health of children, the elderly, and
46 those with compromised immune systems;
47 WHEREAS, there is now a broad range of technologically and economically viable
48 solutions to significantly reduce air pollution and ensure that future economic and population
49 growth does not compromise air quality;
50 WHEREAS, during the 2019 General Session, the Legislature approved funding for a
51 review of air quality and changing climate research by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute to
52 help the state improve air quality and address the importance of Utah's changing climate;
53 WHEREAS, the University of Utah's Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute recommended, in
54 the Utah Roadmap, that the state adopt a goal to reduce air emissions, underscoring the strong
55 link between improving air quality and reducing greenhouse emissions;
56 WHEREAS, these emissions targets were developed with the input of a broad array of
57 stakeholders and technical experts from Utah's public research universities, government
58 agencies, industry, and health care and nonprofit entities as well as using input from focus
59 groups in urban and rural Utah and from state legislators at a legislative roundtable;
60 WHEREAS, Utah is already on track to achieve the Utah Roadmap's stated goal of
61 reducing CO2 emissions statewide 25% below 2005 levels by 2025, and the Utah Roadmap's
62 targets of reducing emissions 50% by 2030 and 80% by 2050 are practical and achievable
63 milestones;
64 WHEREAS, 1,680 Utah businesses sent a letter to the Utah Legislature during the 2020
65 General Session expressing the need for innovative solutions to maintain Utah's quality of life
66 and economic growth, and recognizing and endorsing the importance of the Utah Roadmap's
67 recommendations for improving Utah's air quality and reducing emissions;
68 WHEREAS, the Legislature's commitment to the goals of the Utah Roadmap for
69 improving Utah's air quality and addressing a changing climate will support good stewardship
70 and put the state on an important path toward ensuring a thriving economy and bright future,
71 now and for generations to come;
72 WHEREAS, 23 Utah municipalities have committed to exploring a transition to
73 net-100% renewable energy and many Utah energy customers favor zero-emissions energy
74 resources;
75 WHEREAS, because the changing energy economy will impact some areas of Utah
76 more than others, the state has an interest to invest in infrastructure, to develop housing, and to
77 provide other assistance in those communities to ensure that they can diversify their economies
78 and can attract and sustain family-wage jobs; and
79 WHEREAS, support for this concurrent resolution does not commit the Legislature or
80 the executive branch to support or endorse every recommendation in the Utah Roadmap, but
81 instead indicates that the Legislature and the executive branch encourage the adoption of the
82 emission reduction goals as stated in the Utah Roadmap:
83 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
84 Governor concurring therein, encourages the adoption of the emissions reduction goals as
85 stated in the Utah Roadmap.
86 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor call on
87 individuals, corporations, municipalities, counties, and other state entities to incorporate these
88 emissions reduction goals into planning, rulemaking, and purchasing decisions.
89 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the members of
90 Utah's congressional delegation, the Utah League of Cities and Towns, the Utah Association of
91 Counties, the Public Service Commission, the Department of Health, the Department of
92 Environmental Quality, and the Department of Natural Resources.