The election results are in. The big issues were affordability, the Iran war, data centers and the impact of AI. It is clear voters want these issues addressed, as well as a brake on Donald Trump.
I have a niece and nephew who are in college. They share these worries. With AI, they wonder if the careers they are preparing for will be around in another few years. And they’re wondering if even with a job how they’ll afford a house. Heck, gas and groceries are challenging enough.
But you want to know what else they worry about? Climate change.
It wasn’t talked about in the political campaigns, but how livable is Utah going to be as temperatures continue to rise? How are we going to cope with water shortages and worsening wildfires (that also result in skyrocketing home insurance premiums)?
One important solution is permitting reform. We have abundant wind and solar resources, but we lack the transmission lines to bring this energy we desperately need to our homes. Right now solar and wind projects are stalled because we don’t have the infrastructure to bring the power from where it’s generated to where we use it.
There is a bipartisan permitting reform bill in Congress called the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act. It was crafted by our Sen. Mike Lee, with three other senators from both parties. It is this type of cooperation that we need to solve the really hard problems that face our country.
So to our congressional delegation: Keep focused on affordability. Make the changes necessary so Americans don’t need to be rich to have a decent life today. But don’t forget the future. Pass permitting reform so we can all have a decent life tomorrow.
Steve Glaser, Holladay