May 04, 2015 (KUER-FM) - KUER News Director Terry Gildea and reporter/producer Judy Fahys talk with host Doug Fabrizio about KUER’s reporting on the water issue and KUED’s TV documentary on the same subject. Utah Foundation’s study Flowing Toward 2050: Utah’s Water Outlook is cited in the conversation.
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May 07, 2015 (Deseret News) - The audit also notes that unreliable figures are being used to project future water usage in Utah, which could lead to unnecessary costs. All of this should serve as a cold splash to the face. As yearly snowpack diminishes and the population grows, Utah can’t afford to get this one wrong. Or, as Utah Foundation research analyst Mallory Bateman told me, “The lesson from California is that it kind of takes something catastrophic in order … Continued
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May 01, 2015 (Salt Lake Tribune) - The Utah Foundation released a report back in September that noted the state is the second driest in the nation and has the second highest per-capita water use. It called for local governments to boost water bills, in part to encourage people to conserve. Nothing has happened on that front. But with a dry winter some are worried about the state’s water supply. Salt Lake City has issued a water-shortage advisory, the first step toward … Continued
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April 16, 2015 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Despite this week’s spring snowfall, state and local officials are bracing for drought and encouraging conservation. Salt Lake City public utilities director Jeff Niermeyer, Rep. Tim Hawkes and Mallory Bateman of the Utah Foundation join Jennifer Napier-Pearce [to] talk about the state’s low water supply and how water shortages could affect residents, farmers and the economy.
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April 03, 2015 (KUER) - Many Utahns might be wondering what the latest round of statewide tax increases will mean for their wallets. The Utah Foundation says not all that much. New analysis shows Utah’s ranking among states with the highest tax burden will slip in 2017 as a result of property tax and motor fuel tax increases approved this legislative session.
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April 01, 2015 (Deseret News) - When it comes to traffic safety, Utah has optimal laws on impaired driving and seat belt enforcement, a new research report from Utah Foundation concludes. But it also found Utah still has some work to do when it comes to distracted driving and cellphone use behind the wheel. The report is titled Utah in the Fast Lane: An Analysis of Driving and Traffic Safety. Among the findings: Utah seat belt laws will be among the … Continued
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March 31, 2015 (KSL Newsradio) - Praise for the new primary seat belt law in Utah, hoping that when it starts in May, we’ll see more people using seat belts and fewer people dying.
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March 31, 2015 (KUTV) - A new non-partisan study was released Tuesday that focuses on driving safety in Utah. While we’ve made strides towards safety in some areas, there are others that are getting worse and costing lives. Drunk driving is down, but use of cell phones while driving is up. Both are equally dangerous and yet they’re not given equal weight and consideration. With new cell phone laws people have started to change their habits using hands free devices … Continued
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March 31, 2015 (KSL-TV) - A Utah Foundation report released today shows the state has made strides in seat belt use and drunken driving. But there is still work to do on distracted driving and cellphone use behind the wheel. The report is titled, “Utah in the Fast Lane: An Analysis of Driving and Traffic Safety.” Among the findings: Utah will have among the strongest seat belt laws in the nation May 12. That’s when an officer can pull a … Continued
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March 31, 2015 (KUER) - A new report by the non-profit Utah Foundation examines several areas where the state could improve safety on the roads. Mandated helmets for all motorcyclists, increased restrictions on teen drivers, and stricter driving laws for cell phone use would all lead to safer roads in the state. That’s according to a new report by the Utah Foundation. It points out that while Utah drivers could improve with seat belt usage, a new law will help … Continued
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March 31, 2015 (Standard-Examiner) - Key findings in a new report released Tuesday by the Utah Foundation include Utah’s need for a universal motorcycle helmet law and increased education concerning seat belt safety and distracted driving. The 70-year-old public policy and research organization unveiled its latest work, Utah in the Fast Lane: An Analysis of Driving and Recommendations for Traffic Safety, in front of Salt Lake City’s Police Department. “Utah has optimal laws on impaired driving, booster seat use and … Continued
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March 29, 2015 (Daily Utah Chronicle) - According to research by the Utah Foundation, the state’s three million inhabitants will double by 2050. This growth is expected mostly in urban areas, and RTP says this requires a continued investment in public transit. However, commenters at the Regional Council’s meeting are worried that UTA will not increase service hours or frequency of transit. Deb Henry, representative of the Utah Transit Riders Union, said it’s not the first time they’ve heard these concerns. “From … Continued
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March 31, 2015 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Two new reports suggest that Utah drivers and congestion may not be all that bad — at least compared to others. For example, the Salt Lake City area is the eighth-least congested among 53 large cities in the United States, and ninth-least congested among 146 large cities worldwide studied by TomTom, a manufacturer of electronic GPS route-finding devices, according to a study it released Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Utah Foundation, a nonprofit that conducts research on … Continued
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March 30, 2015 (Fox 13 News) - The Utah Foundation, an influential public policy research group, will publish a report suggesting a range of changes to the rules of the road in Utah, with just about each one making someone angry. The report, titled “Utah in the Fast Lane” looks at seat belt use, helmet laws, teen driving restrictions, drunk driving and driving while distracted by an electronic device. It’s in that last category the report may raise the most eyebrows. “Talking … Continued
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October 06, 2014 (Center for Western Priorities) - Several reports have highlighted Utah’s unique demographic makeup. For example, the Utah Foundation noted that “…with very high birth rates and a very young population, there [are] many school aged children.” And according to the U.S. Census, nearly 31 percent of the state’s population is under the age of 18; Texas is the next closest with 26.6 percent of the population under 18 (the national average is 23.3 percent). Thus, because of Utah’s demography, funding … Continued
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March 22, 2015 (The Independent) - Utah’s Unified Transportation Plan and UDOT authored a study in 2011 which projected a road funding shortfall of roughly $11.3 billion by 2040. In another study published by The Utah Foundation in January 2015, city and county engineers, managers, and council members were polled, revealing that at least 82 percent of city respondents and 95 percent of county respondents believed that transportation funding was not adequate for their areas. This indicated to researchers that a … Continued
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March 18, 2015 (Deseret News) - But before Utah gets to market-driven water conservation, it has to change how water districts are funded. Right now, a lot of them receive a good deal of money from property taxes. I’m not the first to suggest that this should go the way of the Water Wiggle. The first step is to make sure users pay the true cost of water, which is a lot more than what people currently pay. The next step … Continued
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March 13, 2015 (Salt Lake Tribune) - Businesses began publicly complaining roads were deteriorating and not keeping up with growth, hurting the ability to move goods. As the gas tax kept losing value from inflation, they said, highway officials stopped maintaining rural highways to focus on busier urban freeways. That started to provide political cover worried lawmakers needed. In early 2013, the Salt Lake Chamber formed the Utah Transportation Coalition. It produced studies saying economic benefits of such tax hikes would be … Continued
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March 13, 2015 (Utah Public Radio) - The 2015 session of the Utah Legislature reached the end of its constitutionally-mandated 45 days Thursday night. This year’s highlights included debates over Medicaid expansion, prison relocation, pay raises for teachers and state employees, the gas tax, anti-discrimination protections for the LGBT community, religious freedom guarantees, the right to die, Utah’s caucus and convention system, medical marijuana, cock fighting and seat belts, among other issues. On Friday’s AU we’ll recap the 2015 legislative session with … Continued
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March 04, 2015 (Iron County Today) - Because of overdrafting, or taking out more each year than is being recharged, the water table has dropped in some areas of the valley by as much as 114 feet between 1939 and 2009, according to a Utah Geological Survey study. District Engineer Kelly Crane, of Ensign Engineering, said as the aquifer, or underground water source, is depleted, sediments compact and capacity is actually lost. The underground aquifer is the valley’s reservoir and needs to … Continued
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March 04, 2015 (The Independent) - SB231 also provides for a change in the distribution of money from the proposed change in fees, allotting more of the new money to the cities and counties, another issue addressed in The Independent article. According to the article, in a study conducted by The Utah Foundation, at least 82 percent of city and 95 percent of county respondents—which included a range from engineers and managers to mayors and council members, expressed a belief that … Continued
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February 25, 2015 (Iron County Today) - More water is removed from the underground aquifer each year than is replaced, and water levels have been dropping for decades. Faced with the challenge of bringing the aquifer back into balance, and accommodating what the Utah Foundation estimates will be a 129 percent population increase between 2010 and 2050, the district, county and municipalities, as well as businesses, organizations and residents, will have to pitch in and work together, CICWCD General Manager Paul Monroe … Continued
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February 25, 2015 (UtahPolicy.com) - A recent Utah Foundation Study found that 82 percent of Utah’s cities and 95 percent of Utah’s counties believe current transportation funding is simply insufficient. Approximately $180 million is spent annually to preserve $25 billion in roadway infrastructure assets, including pavement and bridges. But UDOT has projected that an additional $67 million per year will be needed to maintain the statewide transportation network to the standard Utahans have come to expect. Additionally, as the Wasatch … Continued
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February 25, 2015 (Herald Journal) - According to the Utah Transportation Coalition, 584 of the state’s bridges are due for replacement. The organization also says that while funding for highways and other major roadways has increased in recent years, the funding for smaller roads has been inadequate. Kaysville Mayor Steve Hiatt told the crowd on the Capitol steps that a Utah Foundation survey of engineers, local government officials and others found that more than 80 percent thought current transportation funding was … Continued
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February 20, 2015 (KVNU - For the People) - Utah Foundation President Steve Kroes discusses his recent blog post on Utah’s tax burden and its correlation with a decline in the funding effort for public education with KVNU’s Jason Williams on the program For the People
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