Happy Friday from #OneUtah, a weekly update from the office of Gov. Spencer J. Cox. Here’s your recap of what we did this week, what's on the horizon, and more.

Answering your questions

This week we answered your questions live in a virtual town hall! We always appreciate the opportunity to speak directly with Utahns, and we’re grateful to those who tuned in. Here’s a small sampling of what we talked about:

Q: Why are gas prices higher in Utah than other parts of the country?
A: Gas prices are going down. It’s a little slower in Utah, a trend we’ve seen for more than 20 years, for a couple of reasons. What’s going on around the world, particularly the Russian invasion of Ukraine, has an impact on gas prices. We also have a federal government that’s been, unfortunately, very punitive when it comes to oil and gas development in the U.S. Because of that, people are hesitant to put in the money it would take to increase refining capacity in Utah. All that means we have to pay for gas to be transported to our state. Utah has enough supply for our state and for others — and we’re advocating for President Biden to do more to unlock the potential we have to lower gas prices. 

We are happy to report that we have received approval from the Forest Service to move forward with the Uinta Railway. This will allow us to move oil from the Uinta Basin to other places across the state, which will save transportation costs and help us lower gas prices.

Q: How will you address the teacher crisis?
A: We love our teachers here in Utah, and we want to help with the national educator shortage. We are the youngest state in the nation, and we need our teachers. In order to keep teachers and attract new ones, we need to do a few things. We’ll be working hard in the next session to pay them more and to reduce regulatory paperwork that doesn’t serve our students or educators. 

Q: How would you respond to those who question Utah’s election integrity? 
A: Questioning the integrity of our election system can actually be healthy. But there’s a difference between just making allegations up and taking an honest look at our processes to get a better understanding. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson has done a great job at working with local county clerks to make elections simple, safe, and secure. We’ve also worked with the Legislature to make our elections more secure every year. Utah is a model to the rest of the nation for safe and secure elections.

Watch the entire town hall here!

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A day in Wasatch County

Meeting directly with Utahns from all walks of life is important to this administration — that’s why we travel to a rural county at least once a month.

This month we met with businesses, farmers, teachers, and other local leaders in Wasatch County who are working hard to support a high quality of life in their communities. We learned about Extell’s Mayflower Mountain Resort; modern farming at Kohler Creamery and Heber Valley Artisan Cheese; chocolate making at Ritual Chocolate, and state-of-the-art bike manufacturing at Ventum Racing.

We also had the chance to meet with local leaders at the Heber Valley Chamber of Commerce, where we talked about drought, development, and more.

Big things are happening in Wasatch County, and we can’t wait to visit again soon.

Student Town Hall

We were thrilled to speak with more than 70 of Utah’s high school student body presidents in a virtual town hall this week. We discussed a number of topics including leadership, unifying student bodies, class morale, and more.

These young leaders represent close to 200,000 high school students across the state, and their willingness to lead will benefit their fellow students as well as older Utahns. We look forward to seeing all the incredible things they accomplish!

A new and sustainable TRAX stop

We love a groundbreaking ceremony — and this week we helped open the Vineyard FrontRunner Station, the first new UTA FrontRunner Station in 10 years. 

This new station is part of the largest regional development in Utah, and it’s a model for sustainable development. This walkable community will allow us to support our massive population growth and have places that our families can live, work, and play without putting the typical burden on our air quality and water resources.

Thank you to all who made this happen. As a nation, we need to get back to building, and Utah is leading the way.

Utah’s strong aerospace industry

Northrop Grumman is expanding its solid rocket motor manufacturing facilities with new state-of-the art facilities to support nearly every phase of solid rocket motor manufacturing.

The expansion — which will bring hundreds of new jobs to the area — will be completed in numerous phases and is expected to be fully operational by 2025.

Utah's aerospace industry is strong — and it supports tens of thousands of jobs. We’re grateful to companies like Northrop Grumman that provide solid employment opportunities and give back to the community, and we were happy to join them for their groundbreaking ceremony in Magna this week.

Showcasing Utah’s flora and fauna

We also helped unveil a new wildlife exhibit at Utah’s Hogle Zoo — and got to drive the train! The Aline W. Skaggs Wild Utah exhibit and Norma W. Matheson Education Animal Center will showcase Utah’s wildlife to guests of all ages from our state and abroad.

Utah is home to 54 million acres of some of the most diverse landscapes in the world. More than 600 species of fish, mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians call our state home – 17 animals are listed as threatened or endangered species. Since 2010, Utah’s Hogle Zoo has partnered with Utah State University Extension and the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources to educate guests about preventing human and wildlife conflicts, and how to recreate safely on our state lands. 

Thank you to all those who worked to get this exhibit up and running.

Conserving water as we grow

Because the drought continues and reliable, clean water is essential to our quality of life and continued prosperity, we’re continuing to share ways in which the state is working to conserve water and plan for a drier future. This week, we’re talking about growth and development.

We know that Utah is growing. We want to ensure our children can afford to buy a home here and that there will be enough resources. Building more housing will lower prices, but we must be responsible about it. SB110 passed in the 2022 General Legislative Session and requires that city officials include water resources when evaluating new projects. 

Every community has a duty to conserve water. City councils and mayors should always look at water resources before issuing building permits to make sure they’re not overextending in a way that would harm the community. It’s not just a suggestion anymore; it’s the law.

Read more about how we’re addressing drought in the West here.

How to Visit Utah’s National Parks

Many of the natural wonders found in Utah are hundreds of millions of years old. Though they’ve existed for eons, that doesn’t mean they’re guaranteed to exist for eons more. 

In order to get the most out of a visit to Utah’s parks and monuments, while also ensuring they stay Forever Mighty, Visit Utah has compiled a list of tips to help you enjoy your visit while also protecting the land for future generations. Click here to read more about when to visit, what to bring, and how to support local communities.

Spotlighting Utah’s ‘Spirit of Service’

In our inaugural Governor’s Spirit of Service Award Ceremony, we recently recognized the outstanding service that Utahns are doing throughout the state. Each week, we’ll highlight one of these unsung heroes. This week, we’re highlighting Andilynn Chambers.

Andilynn Chambers is a 10-year-old with a very giving heart. She asks for donations rather than birthday gifts, and has donated more than 1,000 items to the local homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, and The Christmas Box House.

Read more about Andilynn and the other honorees here.

ICYMI

We were honored to welcome Saudi Ambassador Princess Reema to the Utah State Capitol this week. The vibrancy of the Utah-Saudi relationship is based on multifaceted interests in economic, education, business, and humanitarian fields, and we look forward to continuing that relationship. 

We’ve got some much-needed storms coming in this weekend. The Utah Department of Public Safety has a few tips to help you and yours drive safely in wet weather.

This week, we were able to tour First Step House and The Point in Salt Lake City. We appreciate the chance to learn more about successful models of homeless and mental health services and will keep working with local organizations to help our neighbors.

Did you know you can help save the Great Salt Lake just by paying it a visit? Click here to find out more.

This week we welcomed a number of new fellows to Team Utah! We look forward to seeing the excellent work they do. Learn more about the fellowships at governor.utah.gov/fellowships. 

Read a recap of our monthly rural radio show here!

Utah’s state employees often go above and beyond in their lines of work. On Thursday, we were able to thank the Utahns who worked diligently to mitigate the effects of the avian flu outbreak. We appreciate their efforts.

This month on VisitUtah.com, check out 5 Utah Theaters Reviving Art, History and Architecture.

Coming up

Aug. 15: We’ll be touring the Draper Prison site one last time and recognizing the individuals who were instrumental in the move to the new prison, including Gov. Gary R. Herbert.

Aug. 15: Team Utah will go head-to-head against the Utah Legislature in a friendly softball game!

Aug. 16: We’ll be on Washington Post Live at 1:45 p.m. Tune in here.

Aug. 17: We’ll be joining “Let Me Speak to the Governor” on KSL NewsRadio at noon. Tune in or call in!

Aug. 18: We’ll spend an hour answering questions from local reporters on the Governor’s Monthly News Conference hosted monthly by PBS Utah. Watch it live on our website or on our Facebook page.

Aug.18: We’ll help dedicate The Gary R. Herbert Institute for Public Policy at Utah Valley University. We look forward to honoring a dear friend and respected leader.

Get involved!

Looking for a new job opportunity? From great employee benefits to versatile work schedules, the career opportunities with the state are truly endless. Join Team Utah today! 

Those looking to volunteer can also consider more than 300 boards and commissions. Find out which openings are available and how you can get involved here!

Get in touch!

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Contact the Governor's Office