Despite Utah ranking number one in building the most new housing per capita in the country, the demand for housing in Utah continues to outpace our supply. As a result, we have one of the lowest vacancy-for-home rates in the nation. Without corrective action, housing prices will continue to rise, denying many Utahns their dreams of homeownership.
The bipartisan infrastructure law Sen. Mitt Romney helped craft and pass made significant investments in our core infrastructure that could help Utah’s building and construction industry meet the increased need for housing in our state. However, an inefficient federal permitting process still creates delays that prevent many significant projects in Utah from moving forward, stifling growth in our jobs and housing market and increasing costs for potential homeowners. That is why this Congress must turn its attention to federal permitting reform.
Reforming the federal permitting process will help across many sectors of Utah’s economy, including expanding renewable energy projects across the state. This expansion of clean energy will benefit current and future homeowners who are struggling with high utility costs while creating a more sustainable, 21st-century energy grid. At the same time, streamlining the permitting process will help ensure critical construction projects — both planned and underway — can continue to move forward in a timely manner. This will encourage investment in new development, helping maintain and create well-paying jobs both in the housing sector and broadly across Utah’s economy.
Sen. Romney led out on proposing federal permitting reform in 2022, and should continue his legacy of creating and supporting bipartisan solutions that move Utah forward. I encourage him to lead our federal delegation in taking the next logical step — reforming the federal permitting process that currently keeps vital construction and infrastructure projects in Utah tied up in government red tape, hurting Utah’s economy and Utah’s citizens.
Steve Waldrip, Co-founder of Rocky Mountain Homes fund, former House District 8 representative