- Sen. Mike Lee delivered his annual report to the Utah Legislature on Tuesday and emphasized housing concerns and energy.
- Utah's senior senator is pushing a bill that would help states acquire more land to building housing.
- Lee addressed concerns on permitting for energy and spoke about legislation to help Utah and New Mexico produce geothermal energy.
As Utah works to keep up with housing and energy needs, Sen. Mike Lee focused his remarks to state lawmakers on how he is trying to help with those issues at the federal level.
Lee made his annual report to the Utah Legislature on Tuesday. He typically delivers his remarks in person, but due to scheduling conflicts Lee spoke with state lawmakers over Zoom.
Lee is now chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, which oversees the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of the Interior, the Forest Service and other federal agencies.
In this position, Lee is able to work with state lawmakers on expanding the state and country’s energy generation capacity, something state lawmakers, including Gov. Spencer Cox, have called a priority.
Lee also spoke to Utah lawmakers about legislation he introduced in Congress to try to open up federally-owned land to housing construction.
While Lee spoke to all of the caucuses, the Senate minority caucus was the only one open to the press. Members of the Senate minority caucus expressed their concerns with some of his priorities after his remarks.
Sen. Lee addresses the housing shortage in Utah
During his report, Lee addressed the housing shortage across the country and specifically in Utah.
“This is especially severe in parts of the West, especially in Utah, where land is very expensive, and a lot of people are struggling to figure out how we can increase that capacity, because more than two thirds of our land in Utah is federal,” Lee said.
To help with this issue Lee said he will continue to push for Congress to pass the Helping Open Underutilized Space to Ensure Shelter Act, or HOUSES Act.
This bill would allow local and state governments to buy back pieces of land owned by the Bureau of Land Management to be made into residential areas. The pieces of land have to be near existing cities and must be approved by the Secretary of the Interior.
Environmental safeguards will be in place and the land has to be adjacent to existing sewage infrastructure. This is at the top of his list for the Energy and Natural Resources committee.
Sen. Kathleen Riebe, D-Cottonwood Heights, said that her concern with the HOUSES Act is making sure this housing is available to all and doesn’t just become second or third houses for the wealthy.
Sen. Lee’s focus on permitting and energy
Lee said another one of his priorities is streamlining the permitting process for energy production. As technological developments, like the growth of AI, increase the need for additional energy, the U.S. needs permanent reform in order for the country to keep up, Lee said.
“The AI race is a significant one, and it’s one that we could lose to China or other countries if we fall too behind. We need to generate electric power,” Lee said.
Another concern of Lee’s is making sure Utah has access to affordable, reliable and clean power.
“Utah has all the resources available that are necessary to produce an abundant supply of cheap, reliable, steady and clean power that federal regulations are hamstringing in our state, in some ways. We’re working across the aisle to deal with some of those issues,” Lee said.
Lee is working with Sen. Martin Heinrich D-New Mexico, on a piece of legislation that would facilitate the development of geothermal energy.
Both Utah and New Mexico are ideal states for producing geothermal power, which could significantly contribute to increasing the state’s supply of emissions-free power.
“The federal approach to this has not made it as favorable as it should be, and I think the can change,” Lee said.
In response to Lee’s report, Sen. Nate Blouin, D-Salt Lake, expressed concerns about the “all of the above approach” to energy from some Republicans. He said that oil and gas have received favorable treatment for years while multiple mandates and other barriers are put on clean energy sources such as solar and water.