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Republican (1854-present)

Spencer Cox

Gov. Spencer J. Cox is a husband, father, farmer, recovering attorney, and Utah’s 18th governor. Since taking the oath of office on Jan. 4, 2021, Gov. Cox has secured funds for affordable housing, promoted suicide prevention and mental health resources and implemented water conservation and infrastructure planning. He also signed early education and workforce program funding, launched the new Utah Sustainable Health Collaborative, and expanded opportunity for women, diverse communities and those living in rural parts of the state.

Air Quality

STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLES

  • Nothing is more fundamental to our quality of life in Utah than the air we breathe.
  • Poor air quality increases health care costs, discourages recruitment of businesses and talent, dampens tourism, and is a black eye to the perception of Utah.
  • Ensuring the quality of Utah’s air is critically important to our health, economy and quality of life.
  • We all breathe the same air, and we all share in the responsibility to keep it clean.

2015 PUBLIC POLICY PRIORITIES

  • Educate Utah residents on ways they can make smart choices that will improve Utah’s air quality.
  • Continue leading research efforts into the science of pollution formation in Utah’s unique geography and atmospheric chemistry.
  • Enhance education about and enforcement of Utah’s new air-quality regulations.
  • Advance new initiatives to address pollution from homes and buildings.
  • Work with automobile dealers to bring the next generation of cleaner vehicles into Utah as soon as possible.
  • Advance the development of Utah Mapping & Information Partnership that shares data with multiple agencies and the public in a single portal.

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • Over the past decade we have added 350,000 people along the Wasatch Front while, at the same time, decreasing our total emissions by 35 percent.
  • Required business and industry to install stringent new emission controls, and enacted 31 new state rules to reduce pollution. As a result, business is investing hundreds of millions of dollars in new technology to help clean our air. These rules will reduce emissions by more than 100 tons per day.
  • Created the Clean Air Action Team, a clearinghouse of diverse experts who review public ideas and sound science and develop air quality strategies.
  • Launched the Air Assist program, which provides grants to help small businesses meet new air-quality requirements.
  • Funded research to better understand and respond to the unique air-quality issues in Utah.
  • Eliminated idling in state vehicles, implementing travel-reduction measures, replaced older state vehicles with alternative-fuel vehicles.
  • Created the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) to educate the public about pollution-reduction strategies, coordinate efforts among the air-quality community, and provide grants to support innovative air-quality initiatives.
  • Hired a resource stewardship coordinator to help state agencies adopt best air-quality practices, and provided transit passes for state employees.
  • Governor Herbert met with the top executives of the refineries that sell most of the gasoline used in Utah and encouraged them to produce cleaner Tier 3 fuels for our market.
  • The Utah Office of Energy Development created the Utah Energy Research Triangle, which now coordinates energy innovation, including mechanisms to reduce pollution from energy development, at the state’s major universities and regional colleges.
  • Promoted clean-air legislation.