1     
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ENCOURAGING STATEWIDE

2     
EMISSIONS REDUCTION GOALS

3     
2021 GENERAL SESSION

4     
STATE OF UTAH

5     
Chief Sponsor: Stephen G. Handy

6     
Senate Sponsor: ____________

7     

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
23     

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.