| The Salt Lake Tribune

Highway name to honor vets

HCR7 » The House voted unanimously on Friday to designate Interstate 15 through Utah as the Veterans’ Memorial Highway.

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Sponsored by Rep. Chris Herrod, R-Provo, the resolution states, in part, that the action is taken to "acknowledge the debt society owes to veterans who purchased, with their blood, our enjoyment of liberty and self-government" and to show "that veterans of every generation and conflict deserve our gratitude and respect as they have defended our sacred values of freedom and justice."

The resolution actually is a redesignation, because the Legislature first officially recognized the name 15 years ago. But the designation — which applies from I-15 from the Idaho to the Arizona state lines — is largely unknown by Utahns.

After winning approval on a 71-0 vote, the resolution moves to the Senate, where it is sponsored by Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem. It is expected to win a similar passage in that body.

- The Salt Lake Tribune

House backs bad air study

HB70 » The House approved the creation of a legislative task force to study poor air quality in Utah after some lawmakers complained information on the issue was scattered and incomplete — leaving them to tackle the issue in only a piecemeal fashion.

Rep. Patrice Arent, D-Millcreek, sponsored HB70, which passed 55-16 on its way to the Senate. She said she doesn’t usually propose task forces, but felt the issue no longer could be ignored.

"It’s time for the Legislature to begin seriously understanding this topic," Arent said.

The Salt Lake City-Ogden-Clearfield corridor ranks fifth in the nation for short-term particle pollution, according to the American Lung Association. Orem and Provo ranked sixth, according to the same study.

However, no Utah city cracked the American Lung Association’s ranking for year-round particle pollution.

- David Montero