Many argue reducing pollution is worth more than road funds that would have been raised.
(Francisco Kjolseth | Tribune file photo) This 2016 file photo shows drivers lined up for their morning coffee as their idling vehicles spew tailpipe emissions. Utah lawmakers on Monday killed a bill to dramatically hike state registration fees on electric and hybrid vehicles a move that opponents warned was contrary to Utahns desire for cleaner air.
| Feb. 22, 2021, 11:32 p.m.
Showing how important reducing air pollution now is to Utah lawmakers, the House voted 44-27 on Monday to kill a bill that had sought to impose up to a five-fold increase on registration fees for electric and hybrid vehicles.
SALT LAKE CITY Unhealthy air clogged with pollutants can be a barrier to good health, but it just could be the springboard for more flexibility among Utah government employees to work from home when pollution reaches extreme levels.
The Wasatch Front s episodic winter inversions packed with fine particulate pollution, or PM2.5, and high ozone days in the summer would be the trigger for eligible workers to participate in a surge telework program under a measure proposed by Sen. Daniel McKay, R-Riverton.
SB15 unanimously passed the House Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee on Monday and goes to the full House for further consideration.
SALT LAKE CITY State lawmakers are considering ways to limit the governor s power in an emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic and strengthening their own hand in declaring when an emergency is over.
The Utah Legislature is also in a brewing firestorm over transgender rights as it wraps up its fifth week of meetings that included the House passing a ban on transgender athletes competing in girls sports in the K-12 public school system.
Vickers bill would limit the duration of a public health order to 30 days. It would also only allow the Legislature to extend or terminate an order and would give lawmakers the power to end an emergency earlier than that 30-day time period. The bill would also ban restrictions on religious gatherings and prohibits a local health department from issuing a restriction without the approval of the county executive, such as the county mayor or commission.
Utah state Rep. Joel Briscoe, a Democrat representing part of Salt Lake City, wanted to recognize Utah’s success in holding the 2020 election but found some opposition.
Described as the most overworked river in the West, the Colorado River is the lifeblood of seven states, including Utah which wants to safeguard its interest in its unused allocation. A bill before the Utah Legislature would establish the Colorado River Authority of Utah to do just that.