Utah’s Quality of Life – Video

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Utah Foundation occasionally surveys Utahns in an effort to understand how they feel about both their community and their personal quality of life. This video describes why Utah’s community quality of life is declining, and shows how quality of life is affected by demographic factors. This is all described in further detail in our report Utah Foundation Quality of Life Survey: Measuring Utahns’ Perceptions of their Communities, Personal Lives.  

Utah Thrives — The Future of Transportation

Written by: Dan Bammes

What if the public transit system worked more like Uber? What if we could keep the air cleaner in Utah’s national parks by driving electric cars? And how would our society change if our cars were better at driving than we are? Those are among the questions explored by a panel of experts at a recent Utah Foundation event on the Future of Transportation in Utah. We’ll hear from David Christensen, Executive Director of USU’s … Continued

How will imminent changes in transportation alter our lives?

Written by: Peter Reichard

Karl Benz loved bicycles. So when he invented the first production automobile in 1885, he combined his knowledge of bicycle and motor technology with a desire to create a “horseless carriage.” The vehicle had its flaws, crashing during its demonstration period. He further refined his invention, still thinking he was just creating a bicycle-inspired alternative to the horse and buggy. He had no idea he was reaching into a Promethean fire that would change the … Continued

Utah Thrives — Addressing Ozone Pollution

Written by: Dan Bammes

Changes in federal regulations are bringing new attention to the problem of ozone air pollution in Utah. It’s more of a summertime problem for Utah’s urban areas, but it’s also a significant problem in the Uintah Basin of eastern Utah, where most of the state’s oil and gas drilling takes place. In this edition of Utah Thrives, we’ll hear from Whitney Oswald with the Utah Division of Air Quality, environmental scientist Seth Lyman from Utah … Continued

Utah Thrives — Microgrids

Written by: Dan Bammes

We often think of electric power systems as regional in scale — a huge grid of high-voltage power lines connecting dams, power plants and substations to industry and homes across a wide area. That’s how they have evolved over the past century or more. But the idea of smaller, independent power systems that become components of the larger grid while serving their own communities is also becoming current. In this edition of Utah Thrives, we … Continued

Remember Utah’s Indispensable Coal Counties

Written by: Dan Bammes

During a presidential race in the not-too-distant past, one candidate campaigned successfully on his outreach to blue-collar voters, whom he called “the forgotten Americans.” There was a time when blue-collar types were far from forgotten. The most popular TV character was “Happy Days’” the Fonz – an auto mechanic. His circle of friends included Laverne and Shirley – factory workers. Archie Bunker, meanwhile, was a loading dock foreman. James Evans of “Good Times” was a … Continued

Utah Thrives: Coal Ash — Waste or Resource?

Written by: Dan Bammes

Coal-fired power plants have to deal with one problem that won’t go away — the ash left over from burning their fuel. It’s typically put in ponds and piles near the plants, where it poses a risk of environmental contamination to nearby rivers and streams. But the news about coal ash is not all bad. It contains, among other things, concentrations of rare-earth elements that could turn it into a resource. In this edition of … Continued

Looking Back at Utah Foundation Research in 2016

Written by: Dan Bammes

Maybe there’s enough time in these final days of 2016 to catch our breath. We’re looking back at Utah Foundation’s research reports as well as the Utah Priorities Project. A monumental election season has concluded, with a challenging session of Utah’s legislature just ahead. Here’s our ranking of the top ten research findings of the past year, along with links to a report or research brief on each. 1 Only half of new education funds go … Continued

Utah Thrives – Power Equipment and Air Quality

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah voters identified air quality among the top ten issues facing the state in this year’s Utah Priorities Project survey. The notorious winter inversions that plague the Wasatch Front come to mind — but ozone pollution in the summertime is also a significant concern. And it turns out our use of gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment is a contributor to the problem. In this episode of Utah Thrives, Dan Bammes talks with Bryce Bird, Executive … Continued

Utah Priorities Project: Explaining the Candidate Survey

Written by: Dan Bammes

Utah Foundation Research Analyst Christopher Collard joined KSL’s Doug Wright on Wednesday, April 6th to talk about the Utah Priorities Project candidate survey. This second report in the 2016 Utah Priorities Project looks at the answers given by seven candidates for governor to a set of questions about issues of concern to Utah voters. The questions are essentially the same as those posed to voters in the first report, which identified the top ten issues … Continued