Affordable, Reliable Power for Utah Families
Utah has the lowest electricity costs in the nation. We need to keep it that way.
Thanks to smart energy policy and abundant natural resources, Utah families pay less for electricity than anywhere else in America. But that advantage is under threat—from a monopoly utility pushing 30% rate hikes, from federal mandates that ignore our state's needs, and from surging demand that our grid wasn't built to handle.
Rocky Mountain Power proposed raising rates by over 30%—eventually negotiated down, but the threat remains. Meanwhile, AI data centers are projected to consume triple Utah's current power supply. The answer isn't more regulation—it's free market competition. When one company controls the market, consumers lose. Cities across District 11 are already exploring alternatives, including small modular nuclear reactors and behind-the-meter generation. I'll fight to bring those free market options to Tooele, Magna, Kearns, and communities statewide.
Conservatives believe in free markets—except somehow we've allowed a monopoly to control Utah's electricity. I'll fight to open the market: let cities build municipal power, let businesses generate their own energy, let independent producers compete. Competition drives down prices. Monopolies don't.
AI data centers alone could need triple Utah's current power supply. I support Governor Cox's "Operation Gigawatt" to double Utah's energy production, including small modular nuclear, natural gas, and innovative technologies our District 11 cities are already exploring.
Rocky Mountain Power's parent company, PacifiCorp, operates across states with different energy goals. Utah shouldn't subsidize Oregon and California's policies. I support efforts to separate Utah's energy future from out-of-state mandates.
I'll fight rate increases that aren't justified by actual infrastructure investment. When the utility proposed 30% hikes, leaders pushed back and got it down to 4.7%. We need continued vigilance to protect Utah's cost advantage.
This isn't academic for me. I've spent nearly two decades building and managing energy infrastructure. I've seen pipelines go from blueprint to operation. I've managed the systems that keep energy flowing. I understand what it takes to keep the lights on and the furnace running.
I also listen to the experts. I talk regularly with nuclear PhDs at Utah's universities and with the energy workers who live right here in District 11. These are the people who understand what's technically possible and what's political fantasy. Their insights shape my positions.
Utah has built something valuable: the lowest electricity costs in America. That didn't happen by accident. It happened through smart resource development and policies that put Utah families first. Now that advantage is under threat from monopoly rate hikes, out-of-state mandates, and explosive demand growth.
"Utah's energy advantage took decades to build. I won't let a monopoly utility or federal bureaucrats take it away."
Help bring practical energy policy to the Utah Senate
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