Preserving Personal Liberties
and State Sovereignty
It’s an honor to represent you in the legislature. For me, it’s a labor of love for our liberty and sovereignty. I’m really not a political creature and I think that helps me keep my perspective and focus on what is important to “we the people”. I recognize how my actions and decisions affect the lives of all our families. From the day I was elected, I made a commitment to myself to never let my personal interests ever displace the reasons you elected me. I still embrace that pledge.
I continue to stand firm on positions you can review on the “Issues” page of this website. I do have grave concern that our national sovereignty is in jeopardy because of our nation's dependence on foreign energy and because of our federal government's policies on energy and environment. I spend a great deal of my time in the legislature working with those issues. I’d like to share some of things in which I have been engaged.
- Co-chaired the independent work group that created the framework for our state energy policy. Sponsored the bill in 2006 that put that energy policy into state law.
- Since 2005 to present, chair the Natural Resources, Agriculture and Environment Committee which oversees all energy and environment issues in the legislature.
- Coordinate most energy and environment legislation in each legislative session. I advocate responsible development of all our state’s energy resources.
- Serve on the National Conference of State Legislatures' (NCSL) Energy Sustainability Task Force. NCSL is a national organization that develops model state policies and provides federal lobbying positions on behalf of the states. The sustainability task force is researching how to develop a sustainable national energy supply in an environmentally constrained society. The taskforce has completed a publication for State Legislatures about our nation's energy resources, energy choice impacts on consumers, costs of federal climate legislation, etc.
- 2010 Chair of NCSL’s Environment Committee that develops model state environment policy and states' lobbying positions to the federal government.
- Utah's legislative representative to the Western Electric Grid Modernization Task Force.
- Serve as Utah’s representative to the Western States Energy and Environment Coalition.
- Work closely with SITLA (State Institution and Trust Lands Administration) to develop energy resources on state lands. Revenue generated from that energy development is earmarked to help fund education.
- Organized a forum for refinery operators to improve process safety management and community interface after the Silver Eagle Refinery explosion.
I am proud to be part of the legislative effort to preserve our state's rights and push back against an over-reaching federal government. In particular, I oppose EPA's endangerment finding that CO2 is to be treated as a pollutant, that Cap and Trade will reduce greenhouse gases (it will decimate our economy), that we need more national monuments in Utah (coincidently located near energy producing areas of the state), and that roads traditionally open to public lands are being closed, restricting access to energy producing areas and to School and Institutional Trust Lands.
In 1976, the federal government changed a 200 year old policy of allowing federal public lands to be sold into private ownership or transferred to the states. The new policy is called FLPMA or the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. It primarily affected only the Western States because most federal lands in states east of the Rockies had already been sold into private ownership. Since the enactment of FLPMA, the federal approach has been to manage public lands in perpetuity using a "multiple use" management policy. That means public lands can be developed for multiple uses to generate revenue for federal and state governments from energy, mining, recreation, grazing, ranching, etc. However, restrictive federal regulations have been heaped on the states since 1976 that have nearly crippled our ability to benefit from the natural resources within our state borders. Four federal agencies (BLM, Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife, National Parks) now control 623 million acres of land in the United States. That's 27% of our nation's land mass. That's more than all the land mass in the countries of France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Italy, The United Kingdom, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands and Belgium combined. Much of the land under federal control is in the western states. On average, 52% of the land in the 13 Western States is federally controlled compared to 4% in the other 37 states.
Two-thirds of Utah's land mass is under federal control. That's one of the reasons we struggle funding education. The federal government pays no property tax on that land. Payments in lieu of taxes (PILT) are made, but only about 17% of what the State would receive if the federal government paid property tax on its federally controlled land in Utah. I'm going to work on that.
I've been focusing my effort on growing our Schools and Institutional Trust Lands fund. Lands were set aside in Utah at statehood for the benefit of educating our children. These lands are managed by a State agency called the Schools and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA). The SITLA trust fund, now over $1 billion, could be at least triple that amount if it were not hampered by federal policies restricting access to and optimum development of those lands. Our schools are losing $300 million annually because of federal land ownership in Utah. I intend to spend the remainder of my days in the Legislature working to improve education funding and our state's economy through development of all our State's energy resources and technologies. It is my niche and an area I believe I can impact.
In addition to energy and environment issues stated above, I have served on the state’s Healthcare Reform Task Force and served as the liaison to the Utah Medical Association. Legislative service takes nearly half of my time (good thing I’m retired) and some personal expense. I’m grateful my personal situation allows me to serve you in the legislature. I look forward to serving another term preserving our personal liberties and our state sovereignty.