Environment

Significant Statistics | Ozone in the Unita Basin

Written by: Staff

Ground-level ozone is of concern to policymakers because of public health risks. Breathing ground-level ozone can cause respiratory problems, especially for vulnerable groups including children, older people, people who work outdoors, and those with preexisting respiratory conditions such as asthma.1 One source of ground-level ozone is from methane gas. The difference in methane emissions across Utah counties helps explain why Uintah and Duchesne counties have ground-level ozone concentrations of about 40% and 30% higher, respectively, … Continued

Video: Utahns’ Community Quality of Life at Decade Low

Written by: Christopher Collard

Since 2011, the Utah Foundation has measured community quality of life five times. In 2022, the Community Quality of Life Index stands at 64 out of a possible 100 points, making this year the clear low mark. Learn more in our newest video.

Op-ed: Utah’s economy could benefit from focusing on climate issues

Written by: Peter Reichard

Record heat and the drought this summer are putting the issue of climate change on Utahns’ minds. While a run of unfavorable weather measured in weeks or months does not in itself equate to climate change, it does invite us to pay more attention to the issue. The causes and effects of climate change, as well as the proper responses, remain matters for some degree of debate. And those debates, by the way, are worth … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Prosperity in a Cleaner and Greener Economy

Written by: Peter Reichard

In this edition of Utah Thrives, Utah Foundation President Peter Reichard and Vice President Shawn Teigen are joined by Julianne Basinger and Nick Schou of Western Resource Advocates in a discussion of climate challenges. The conversation also explores the new Utah Foundation report, Going for the Green: How Utah Can Thrive in the New Climate Economy.

Op-Ed: Dry times in Utah highlight importance of long-term water management

Written by: Peter Reichard

It’s when your throat is parched and you’ve been baking in the hot sun that you most appreciate a glass of cool, clear water. We appear to be in such a moment at a statewide level. As of May 1, the 2020-21 winter snowpack in most of the state’s measured basins was well below median, and in some cases less than half of the median level. While one bad year may not plunge the whole … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast | Connecting Teleworking and Air Quality in Utah

Written by: Peter Reichard

In April 2020, Utah Foundation released a report, Work Away from Work: The Challenges and Promise of Teleworking, on remote work. It provided an overview of the potential benefits and pitfalls of the massive experiment in teleworking prompted by the pandemic. In January 2021, Utah Foundation released a followup report, The Way Home: The Shift to Telework and its Air Quality Ramifications. The report focuses on how remote work relates to future growth, traffic and air … Continued

Op-Ed: Can the telework revolution improve traffic and air quality in Utah?

Written by: Peter Reichard

Every couple of decades, the trajectory of modern history pivots on game-changing innovations: the rise of trains, planes and automobiles; the invention of the light bulb; the birth of television; the emergence of the PC; the dawn of the internet. We are due for another pivot, and it may have arrived in the form of a remote revolution. With the lockdowns of 2020, the worldwide embrace of telehealth, e-commerce, telemeetings, online education and telework suddenly … Continued

Policy Savant Panel — UtahPolicy.com: Education Spending

Written by: Peter Reichard

Last year, Utah Foundation published a report called Making the Grade? K-12 Outcomes and Spending in Utah, which wrestled with this question. The report found that, while Utah spends far less per pupil than peer states with student profiles similar to Utah’s, it performs respectably in terms of outcomes. And while higher-spending states tend to outperform the rest of the states, Utah outperforms higher-spending states collectively on several measures. In short, higher spending has only … Continued

Video: Driving Toward a Cleaner Future

Written by: Shawn Teigen

Utah Foundation’s third video of 2020 examines what’s driving the trend toward alternative fuel vehicles and what may be slowing it down. It also explores which alternative fuel vehicle incentive strategies are most effective from an air quality standpoint. The video builds on Utah Foundation’s 2019 report, Driving Toward a Cleaner Future: Alternative Fuel Vehicles in Utah.       This project was made possible in part through funding from the Utah Clean Air Partnership … Continued

Utah Thrives Podcast: The State of Utah Embraces Teleworking

Written by: Peter Reichard

You won’t want to miss this episode of Utah Thrives, where you’ll find out why teleworking employees are more productive and you’ll hear about the multiple goals the state is addressing through teleworking — from air quality to rural employment. We talk with Jeff Mottishaw, senior consultant with the Operational Excellence Team in the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, who discusses how the state’s teleworking program has gained momentum with the coronavirus crisis. This podcast builds on … Continued