My wife and I have had the privilege of raising our family in Utah, surrounded by its natural beauty. We hike, bike, ski and cherish the great outdoors, and I want all our children to have the same opportunities. This vision means taking serious action now to reduce emissions, save the Great Salt Lake and protect our environment. Our current efforts are insufficient. My niece had to leave Salt Lake City because her asthma was aggravated by the city’s poor air quality. Her experience drives my commitment to advocate for organizations like O₂ Utah and Save Our Great Salt Lake and to partner with other environmental leaders.
As a candidate for the Utah State House of Representatives in House District 23, the environment is a key part of my campaign platform. Our national parks, mountain ranges, lakes, canyons and waterfalls are what make our state so unique, and as Utah’s Legislature, we need to preserve these natural wonders.
Everyone deserves to breathe clean air, both outside and inside. Poor air quality is not just an inconvenience; it’s an existential threat that demands immediate and decisive action. To address this crisis, we need to build a statewide consensus on reducing emissions and set ambitious goals.
I am proud to have the endorsement of O₂ Utah, our state’s leading environmental nonprofit. Their mission is clear: to clean our air and eliminate our contributions to climate change through strategic elections and policymaking. I fully support O₂ Utah’s legislative framework, Prosperity 2030, which aims to reduce emissions by 50% along the Wasatch Front before 2030. This framework provides a roadmap with targeted bills to cut pollution from transportation, buildings and industrial sources, ensuring a healthier future for all Utahns.
During the 2023 legislative session, O₂ helped pass Phase 1 of Prosperity 2030 — HB220 (Emissions Reduction Amendments) into law. HB220 sets a standard on halogen emissions from industrial sources, specifically bromine pollution, which increases our wintertime inversion up to 25%. HB220 was a monumental win, the most impactful piece of air quality legislation passed in the state in decades.
In addition, we cannot talk about air quality without discussing the Great Salt Lake. This iconic and vital part of our state is drying up. Preserving its waters is crucial not only for our health and unique ecosystems but also for the future habitability of Utah. I stand firmly behind the Save Our Great Salt Lake initiative, which calls for an additional 1 million acre-feet of water per year, maintaining a healthy elevation of at least 4,198 feet and ensuring salinity levels below 15% to support a thriving ecosystem.
We must commit to making these changes for our health and our future. Together, we can create a sustainable and thriving Utah for generations to come.
Jeff Howell is a candidate for the Utah state House of Representatives in House District 23.