Issue Position: Energy

Nearly 70% of our state is under federal control, and they have locked the door pretty tight on what we can and can't do on these federal lands. I am a firm believer that those who use the lands as a resource are the best stewards; whether it be the ranchers and farmers, or the sportsmen and energy producers. These people appreciate the fact that they can't just use up this resource and throw it away. They have to preserve the lands in order to use it over and over again for our benefit.

I support and will continue to support legislation that pushes the federal government to give more control to the state of Utah over what is allowed on our public lands. This can lead to more gas, oil and coal production which can help our local economy as well as supply critical energy resources.

For the most part, utilities are best handled on the municipal or county level, not on the state level. There are times when something crosses county boundaries where the state can help facilitate through management or financing. The state collects the Class B and C road funds and then distributes those funds to the cities, towns and counties to maintain their roads. One area of concern that I have is the deterioration of many of our rural roads. We certainly need to work together to find sources of funds that can be used to improve and maintain these roads that are so vital to our rural population.

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