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Want to lobby with us at the Capitol or get involved this session in other ways? HEAL Utah will be at the Capitol in room 105 every Tuesday and Thursday during the session from 9:30-12:30 to help you lobby. Sign up to lobby here, learn how to lobby at the very bottom of this page or here, and email our Grassroots Organizer, Noah Miterko, at noah@healutah.org to get involved in other ways.
Be sure to check out the HEAL Utah Capitol Report on Facebook and YouTube, which recaps each week during the legislative session.
Our tracker will be updated on a daily basis during the 2019 legislative session.
If you are using a mobile device or tablet, please scroll horizontally in the table to see more!
2019 Legislative Bill Tracker
| HEAL Issue Area | Bill Number | Bill Name | Sponsor | Description | Stance | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Air | HB0098 | Freight Switcher Emissions Mitigation | Rep. Stephen Handy | Creates procedures and terms for grants issued for the reduction of freight switcher locomotive emissions and requests $2 million to help repower existing switcher engines in the non-attainment areas. | Support | Didn't make it through |
| Clean Air | HCR003 | Concurrent Resolution Urging the Environmental Protection Agency to Update Switcher Locomotive Emission Standards | Rep. Stephen Handy | Urges the EPA to develop and make more stringent emission standards for switcher locomotives. | Support | Passed the House and Senate! |
| Energy and Climate | HCR002 | Concurrent Resolution Supporting Renewable and Sustainable Energy Options to Promote Rural Economic Development | Rep. Patrice Arent | Promotes the continued and increased development of renewable energy in rural areas of Utah. | Support | Passed the House and Senate! |
| Clean Air | HB0148 | Vehicle Idling Revisions | Rep. Patrice Arent | Strikes language that limits the ability of municipalities to enforce anti-idling ordinances. | Support | Passed the House and Senate! |
| Clean Air | HB0139 | Motor Vehicle Emissions Amendments | Rep. Angela Romero | Tampering with a car's engine in order to spew stacks of black smoke on demand (known as "rolling coal," this is a trend that releases excessive vehicle emissions) is illegal. This bill would increase the penalties and improve the reporting system for those who tamper with engines to "roll coal." | Support | Passed the House and Senate! |
| Energy and Climate | SB0146 | Sales Tax Exemption Revisions | Sen. Derek Kitchen | Gives a sales tax exemption for residential, commercial, and utility-scale energy storage | Support | Didn't make it through |
| Radioactive Waste | HB0220 | Radioactive Waste Amendments | Rep. Carl Albrecht | Has implications for depleted uranium, it's classification, and potentially for the Utah Department of Environmental Quality's seven-year long performance assessment on depleted uranium. | Oppose | Passed the House and Senate |
| Clean Air | HCR011 | Concurrent Resolution Encouraging the Purchase of Tier 3 Gasoline | Rep. Suzanne Harrison | Encourages the purchase of Tier 3 gasoline by both retailers and consumers. | Support | Passed the House and Senate! |
| Energy and Climate | SB0111 | Energy Storage Innovation, Research, and Grant Program Act | Sen. Lincoln Fillmore | Creates a $5 million grant program for a person, company, research organization, or other for the development or deployment of energy storage in Utah. | Support | Didn't make it through |
| Energy and Climate | HB0218 | Construction Code Modifications | Rep. Mike Schultz | Makes amendments to the residential building code to improve energy efficiency in newly-built homes, and adopts the 2018 commercial construction code. | Support | Passed the House and Senate! |
| Clean Air | SB0144 | Environmental Quality Monitoring Amendments | Sen. Luz Escamilla | Requires the creation of a data baseline in the Utah Inland Port Authority area in order to track the inland port's environmental impact. | Support | Passed the House and Senate! |
| Energy and Climate | HCR005 | Concurrent Resolution Urging Policies That Reduce Damage from Wildfires | Rep. Raymond Ward | Urges the pursuit of common sense policies to improve forest management practices in order to mitigate climate change's impacts on wildfires and help improve our air quality. | Support | Passed the House and Senate! |
| Clean Air | HB0353 | Reduction of Single Occupancy Vehicle Trips Pilot Program | Rep. Joel Briscoe | Creates a 3-year pilot program to fund 15-20 days of free transit fares throughout the UTA service area during the winter inversion season. Includes data collection and reporting to the legislature on transit ridership and vehicles on the road. | Support | Passed the House and Senate! |
| Clean Air | HB0288 | Critical Infrastructure Materials | Rep. Logan Wilde | Allows gravel pits and mines to be classified as “critical infrastructure”, and affects the ability of local communities to weigh in on any expansion or changes to operations of these facilities. | Oppose | Passed the House and Senate |
| Clean Air | HB357 | Voluntary Wood Burning Conversion Program | Rep. Timothy Hawkes | Incentivizes homeowners to replace wood stoves and fireplaces. | Support | Passed the House and Senate! |
| Clean Air | HB295 | Vehicle Emissions Reduction Program | Rep. Jeffrey Stenquist | Provides incentives to help Utahns replace certain vehicles that fail emissions tests. | Support | Didn't make it through |
| Energy and Climate | HB411 | Community Renewable Energy Act | Rep. Stephen Handy | Creates mechanisms for cities to transition to renewable energy, including requirements meant to protect ratepayers. | Support | Passed the House and Senate! |
| Clean Air | HB413 | Tax Credit for Energy Efficient Vehicles | Rep. Raymond Ward | Modifies and extends the corporate and individual income tax credits related to energy efficient vehicles. | Support | Didn't make it through |
| Radioactive Waste | SCR006 | Concurrent Resolution in Support of Advanced Nuclear Reactor Technology | Sen. Curtis Bramble | Encourages the development by and in Utah of advanced nuclear reactor technology. Throughout the debates on this bill, it is clearly referencing small modular nuclear reactors (SMNRs). | Oppose | Passed the House and Senate |
| Clean Air | HB433 | Inland Port Amendments | Rep. Francis Gibson | Makes changes regarding the inland port, including dynamics between the port and cities, taxes, and potential renewable energy requirements. | Neutral | Passed the House and Senate |
| Energy and Climate | SB0248 | Throughput Infrastructure Amendments | Sen. Ralph Okerlund | Diverts funds from the Community Impact Board to a Throughput Infrastructure Fund in order to build a bulk commodities ocean terminal, which may include a coal port out of the country. | Oppose | Passed the House and Senate |
| Energy and Climate | SB0152 | Mineral Lease Funds Amendments | Sen. Ronald Winterton | Diverts money from Utah’s Community Impact Board and gives it to the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, which could use this money to build fossil fuel infrastructure, including a mechanisms to move Utah coal and oil. | Oppose | Didn't make it through |
| Energy and Climate | HB304 | Fossil Fuels Tax Amendments | Rep. Joel Briscoe | Creates a tax on carbon dioxide emissions and includes, among other things, a grant program to fund air quality projects. | Support | Didn't make it through |
2019 Air Quality Appropriations
The Governor proposed $100 million for one-time air quality projects in order to reduce emissions by 25% by 2026. This money will be allocated in the form of appropriations, which are funding requests to support a proposed program.In the end, air quality appropriations received $28.8 million. While the $28 million that the legislature approved is less than one-third of the Governor’s request, this is easily one of the largest amounts the legislature has ever given to air quality programs in a single year - so there’s definitely a reason to celebrate!
Below are the programs which received funding this year.
| Title | Description | Funding Request |
|---|---|---|
| Free Transit on Mandatory Action Days | Funds 17 days of free transit ridership on mandatory action days. | $500,000 |
| Wood Stove Conversion | Provides a 70% match for the cost of replacing wood stoves and fireplaces. | $9 M |
| Weatherization | Assists with weatherization to reduce energy bills and NOX emissions. | $1 M |
| Private Electric Vehicle Chargers | Provides a 50% match for the installed cost of electric vehicle chargers at workplaces and businesses. | $4.99 M |
| Air Quality Messaging Campaigns | Provides additional funding for air quality messaging campaigns. | $500,000 |
| State Electric Vehicle Chargers | Provides funding for electric vehicle charging stations at State facilities. | $2 M |
| State Vehicle Replacement (Pre-2007) | Replaces pre-2007 state-owned lightweight and heavy-duty vehicles, as well as UDOT snowplows. | $4 M |
| Air Quality and Climate Research Study | Funds studies for the causes and impacts of air quality and climate in Utah | $200,000 |
| Inland Port Environmental Baseline Monitoring | Installs air and water quality monitors in the inland port area in order to get baseline environmental data in the area. | $517,800 |
| State Teleworking | Funds teleworking expenses for state employees, with opportunities for more rural Utah employment. | $6.253 M |