Utah Chapter Sierra Club Political Committee

2016 Utah Legislative Candidate Questionnaire

1. The Sierra Club was established in 1892 to protect the Sierra Nevada Range in California.
Since then our geographical and issue scope has enlarged, but were still working hard to
protect public lands and open space. How would you work to improve and protect
management of public lands within the state? Do you support state attempts to seize or
gain control of federally-managed public lands? Would you support disclosure of documents
related to the Commission for the Stewardship of Public Lands?
As with any government model, the closer the governed are to those who are governing, the
greater the likelihood that outcomes will be more acceptable to those being governed. Just
as Utah funds schools at the local level, Utah deserves to manage the public lands that make
up the overwhelming proportion of our State's surface area. Doing so would allow for land
management with input from local communities who are often reliant on the land for
subsistence. It would also give citizens recourse to State management practices since Utah's
citizen Legislature lives in Utah among its citizens. State control would also increase Utah's
portion of mineral severance taxes (Utah splits the tax revenue today with the Federal gov't
50/50). The added revenue would go to fund our State school system instead of being
siphoned off to our spendthrift Federal government. For these reasons, I support the Federal
land being relinquished to our State's jurisdiction.
Regarding the Commission for the Stewardhsip of Public Lands, I am unfamiliar with the
"documents" you are referring to. However, you can listen to last year's commission hearings
as well as read all meeting documents and materials at this website:
http://le.utah.gov/asp/interim/Commit.asp?Year=2015&Com=SPESPL

2. Portions of Utah fail to meet federal standards for two pollutants known as fine particulates
and ozone. Poor air quality in the Salt Lake Valley, the Uintah Basin, and Cache Valley is
extending harmful haze to ever more people and regions of Utah. What steps would you
take to improve air quality in Utah? Please explain your thoughts on House Bill 250 and
Senate Bill 49? Would you have supported these pieces of legislation? With the number of
vehicles on Utah roads projected to double by 2040 would you be in favor of additional
funding for public transit?

I voted for SB 102 this past session which would have funded area refineries in their efforts to
convert to Tier III fuels. Vehicle emission by far have the largest impact on air quality and
moving to a Tier III fuel market will help dramatically to reduce harmful emissions.
I voted against HB250. It would have cost Salt Lake County residents between $15 Million
and $45 Million over a 10 year period. I believe as the technology improves, market forces
will drive the price of these emission efficient units down to the point that consumers will
purchase them on their own without being compelled by law to do so.
I voted for SB49. It seems to be a reasonable application of the law and the rules by which
we go about enforcing it.
I can't answer your question about public transit without first knowing how many of those
added vehicles will be electric or hybrid powered. 2040 is a long way off on the horizon.
Besides, we might all be riding bikes by then anyway.

3. The ski industry contributes $1.29 billion to Utah's economy and creates 20,000 jobs for the
state, as the effects of climate change become more severe in the state these numbers will
certainly go down. What steps would you take to address climate change in the state? What
steps would you take in your position to educate the public regarding climate change and
the how it affects our communities and state?
We can be responsible stewards of our resources while still using our resources. While the
impact that man is having on climate change is up for debate (in my view), it is common sense
to care for what we have. With that being said, I will leave it to the individual to assess what
level of attention they wish to bring to this issue in their personal conduct. There is certainly
enough advocacy and social awareness of this issue for individuals to have access to the
information to make good choices regarding healthy environmental practices.
4. Water is a limited and precious resource in Utah and the Colorado River basin. Residents of
Utah use the most water per capita in the United States, and we can expect increased
population growth and continued economic development throughout the state. During the
2016 session, several pieces of legislation were proposed to encourage better stewardship
of water resources. What is the best way to sustainably manage limited water supplies
long-term? Should meaningful conservation standards be required before state funds can be
used to build new water projects? Do you support the Lake Powell pipeline or the proposed
Bear River Pipeline? Would you support an audit of the funding requests outline in Senate Bill

80? Do you support universal metering of water as defined in

SCR1inhttp://le.utah.gov/~2016/bills/static/SCR001.htmlthehttp://le.utah.gov/~2016/bills/s
tatic/SCR001.html2016session?
I believe Utah flourishes as its population grows. In order to do that, water is
required service the needs of so many people. Whether conservation standards
are implemented now, or later, there will ultimately be a limit to water that can be
consumed in our State. I supported SB80 because Utah is becoming self-reliant
when it comes to maintaining existing water infrastructure. I do not currently have
an educated opinion on the Lake Powell or Bear Lake pipeline proposals because
they are not being considered for funding by the Legislature for years to come. A
lot can change in the meantime. Yet, I would support transparency and full
disclosure with requests made for funding provided by SB80. I also support
universal metering as suggested in SCR1.

5. Many municipalities have demonstrated leadership in stewarding natural resources and the
environment.For example: Salt Lake City, Park City and Holladay have all banned cars idling
for longer than 2 minutes. Do you support the right of local governments to use their
authority to enact policies that build upon or exceed existing environmental legislation?
The right to swing one's fist ends at another man's nose. Some municipalities have
demonstrated leadership, and others have just been silly. Making a difference is best done
through education and culture, not draconian legal mandates. I support local level
governance, as long as it is reasonable. I will let us debate what reasonable means.

6. Utahs economy is consistently subjected to the boom and bust cycle of the extraction
industries. This takes a toll on the people and communities involved in those industries
beyond that of environmental degradation. Oil and natural gas are being produced using
both conventional methods and hydraulic fracturing in this state with the latter becoming
ever more common. Unconventional fossil fuels like oil shale and tar sands are being
explored and developed in eastern Utah despite the potential of environmental damage
near our Nationals Parks, Monuments and Wilderness Areas. On the other hand, Utah has a
high potential for the development of solar, wind and geothermal power but lags behind all
other mountain west states in their implementation and use. Should the state use tax policy
to promote green energy? Do you favor continuing to exempt coal production from

severance taxes? Do you believe it is a worthwhile

venture to use state tax money to fund a coal port in Oakland, CA?
The state should not be using tax policy to promote green energy. Solar adoption is
becoming parabolic and tax credits are becoming unnecessary to keep the industry afloat.
Technological advances in battery storage and solar cell manufacturing continue to drive the
price of these products down. Mass adoption is less than 10 years away.
In my ideal world, there would be no tax subsidies at the state or Federal level. However,
the Federal government's efforts to reward green energy and punish coal energy are
misguided and State policy is currently trying to circumvent those efforts. If the Federal
government ended its efforts to bankrupt the coal industry, I would support an end to the
severance tax exemption our state offers the industry as life support. Also, the port in
Oakland is billed as a coal port but in reality it is a commodity port. Any product of Utah
can be shipped to world markets through it. For this reason, I support funding the port to
expand Utah's trade abroad for all of our products.
7. Building codes can both protect consumers and improve the environment. In 2016 HB 121
was introduced to implement the 2015revision of the International Residential Code issued
by the International Code Council. These provisions included meaningful improvements to
the residential energy code.Would you support a bill that would implement the higher
standards described above?
No. I live in a home built in 1908 and I love it.

Jeremy Peterson
Utah House District 9