Environment

Bringing Air Quality Home: Reducing Residential Emissions

Written by: Christopher Collard

Many Utahns consider air quality an important factor in determining quality of life and would support actions to improve air quality. Oil refineries and other industrial polluters, as well as passenger vehicles, have been the focus of federal, state, and local government regulation, yet there has been little focus in Utah about reducing pollution generated from commercial and residential buildings. Emissions from buildings contribute substantially to Utah’s pollution, particularly during the winter when they produce … Continued

Utah Foundation Quality of Life Index: 2015 – From Concern About Jobs to an Embrace of Natural Surroundings

Written by: Shawn Teigen

The third biennial Utah Foundation Quality of Life Index stands at 76.9 out of a possible 100 points, down more than one point from 78.2 in the 2013 index, and down slightly from 77.2 in the 2011 index. Utah Foundation produces the Index in collaboration with Intermountain Healthcare. While overall Utahns rate themselves as having a high quality of life, several of the quality of life aspects most important to them – like public schools, … Continued

Flowing Toward 2050: Utah’s Water Outlook

Written by: Mallory Bateman

Utah’s population is projected to grow by 2.5 million people in the next 35 years. The implications of this projected growth are far reaching for state and local agencies and for policy makers. Previous reports in the 2014 population growth series have discussed where growth will occur, who new Utahns will be, and what they will need to continue to have the quality of life that current Utahns enjoy. This report, the third in a … Continued

The Air We Breathe: A Broad Analysis of Utah’s Air Quality and Policy Solutions

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Utahns care about air quality. In the 2013 Utah Foundation Quality of Life Index, survey respondents indicated that air quality was the most important thing that could be improved to increase the quality of life in the state. Further, in a 2013 survey produced by Envision Utah, almost all Utahns are willing to act to clean the air. Utah Foundation’s newest research report analyzes the trends, science, health concerns, and policy solutions related to the … Continued

Utah Foundation Quality of Life Index: 2013 Edition Shows Concerns About Jobs, K-12 Education and Air Quality

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Produced in collaboration with Intermountain Healthcare, the Utah Foundation Quality of Life Index is updated every two years to track how Utahns perceive changes in quality of life and the reasons for those changes. The second biennial Utah Quality of Life Index stands at 78.2 out of a possible 100 points, up one point from 2011. Although Utah’s quality of life rating improved, several of the issues most important to Utahns – public schools, job … Continued

Sagebrush Rebellion Part II: Analysis of the Public Lands Debate in Utah

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

The federal government owns around 635 million acres, or 28% of the land comprising the United States. Within Utah, nearly 67% of the state’s total acreage, or 35 million acres, is owned by the federal government. Throughout the nation’s history, groups have debated who should control this land and how it should be managed. In 2012, the Utah State Legislature passed the Transfer of Public Lands Act (TPLA), which demands the United States transfer an … Continued

Utah Priorities 2012, Issue #7: Environmental Issues

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

In 2012, voters listed environmental issues as the 7th most important priority in the election year. This brief reviews how Utah cities and counties compare to the rest of the nation in terms of air quality, as well as the future of regulating greenhouse gases as an air pollutant. It finds that the state as a whole is compliant with most EPA required air pollution measures, but struggles with short-term ozone and particulate matter levels, … Continued

The 2012 Utah Priorities Survey of Party Delegates and Voters

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

As part of the 2012 Utah Priorities Project, Utah Foundation and the Hinckley Institute of Politics have surveyed Utah voters and delegates to the major parties’ state conventions.  This survey was conducted for the first time in 2010, showing distinct differences between party delegates and voters, with delegates usually taking more zealous positions than their parties’ voters.  The 2012 survey also shows differences between voters and delegates, but those differences are not as pronounced as … Continued

Utah Priorities Gubernatorial Survey: A Comparison of Candidates’ and Voters’ Top Priorities for 2012

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

Utah Foundation recently released The 2012 Utah Priorities Survey, which provides a summary of the findings of a statewide Dan Jones & Associates survey assessing which issues are most important this election year and how voters feel about Utah’s economy, society and politics.  For the first time, Utah Foundation also requested that the gubernatorial candidates complete part of this survey.  All of the Republican and Democratic candidates and two of three third-party candidates completed the … Continued

The 2012 Utah Priorities Survey: The Top Issues and Concerns of Utah Voters for the 2012 Election

Written by: Stephen Hershey Kroes

In this election year, Utahns are more confident that the state is heading in the right direction than they were two years ago. However, they are still not as confident as they were in the 2004 and 2008 elections.  Their concerns about issues like jobs and the economy, public education, and healthcare remain strong.  Some issues that were important in the 2010 election, such as ethics of elected officials, states’ rights vs. the federal government, … Continued