TAKE ACTION: Tell Your State House Representative to Vote No on House Bill 17-Utility Permitting Amendments
HB 17-Utility Permitting Amendments sponsored by Rep. Steve Handy, Layton, passed out of the House Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Committee last Thursday afternoon on an 8-4 vote. This legislation seeks to prohibit municipalities and counties from enacting policies that would prohibit new gas connections. This is part of a national effort by the gas industry to inhibit innovative local policies to reduce emissions by electrifying the heating and cooling systems in buildings. Utah Clean Energy’s Policy Associate, Josh Craft, made comments against the bill at Committee, along with representatives from the Utah League of Cities and Towns, the Utah Association of Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS), and Utah Municipal Power Agency (UMPA).
We urge you to call or text your state House Representative TODAY and ask them to vote “No” on House Bill 17.
We expect this bill to come to vote early this week (it’s currently #17 on the House voting board).
Here are some suggested talking points:
- HB 17 is unnecessary: No Utah community is considering or is likely to ban new natural gas connections or other utility connections to new housing or business.
- HB 17 undermines community efforts to reduce emissions: Local action is Utah’s laboratory for innovative actions to reduce air pollution and promote clean energy.
- HB 17 sets a bad precedent by prohibiting communities from making energy choices that can improve public health and reduce the risks of climate change.
