Campaign Phone
801-791-1124
Current Employment
Attorney
Education
JD
Campaign Website
www.electstephanie.com
Water pricing should reflect scarcity, and right now it often doesn't. Cities should adopt tiered rate structures that charge more for excessive water use while keeping basic household needs affordable. On turf, we should accelerate the transition away from water-intensive grass on both public and private property. I passed SB252 this session, requiring low-water-use turf on new state landscaping projects; cities should adopt the same standard. Water reuse investment needs to happen in parallel efforts, not after. A five-year implementation timeline is achievable if the Legislature treats this with the urgency it requires.
Inversion along the Wasatch Front is a public health crisis. We need to close the loopholes that let polluting vehicles stay on the road. This session I passed SB208, which cracks down on individuals who evade the emissions testing process. Beyond that, we need stronger vehicle emissions standards and we must accelerate the transition to electric landscaping equipment. I proposed SB176 this session to move the state to electric lawn equipment. The bill narrowly failed but I plan to bring it back. I’m also pushing for cleaner energy sources that reduce the industrial emissions that settle into our valleys every winter. Air quality disproportionately impacts kids and elderly residents. That urgency should drive our timeline.
The exposed lakebed is already releasing arsenic, mercury, and other toxic dust into communities along the Wasatch Front. The state needs to fund dust suppression efforts on exposed lakebed as an immediate public health measure, increase air quality monitoring near affected communities, and invest urgently in getting more water to the lake. I've worked with Stewardship Utah on conservation policy and I also passed water conservation legislation this session. But mitigation only buys time; the only real solution is reversing the Lake's decline. That requires water rights reform, smarter growth planning, and the political will to say no to projects like the proposed Stratos data center that works against our environmental stewardship goals.
On incentives: tie state infrastructure funding to housing production targets, reward cities that approve density near transit, and expand programs that help first-time buyers build credit. For example, I sponsored SB187 this session, introducing renter credit reporting to help families build credit and work toward affordable homeownership. On requirements: the state should set clear affordability benchmarks and hold cities accountable for meeting them. Exclusionary zoning that blocks density near jobs and transit is a policy choice, and the state has leverage to change it. I'll keep pushing on both fronts.
Utah should prioritize wind and solar as the foundation of its long-term energy strategy, backed by investment in battery storage and grid modernization to ensure reliability. These are the fastest to deploy, the most cost-competitive, and cleanest for our air and water. On nuclear, I'm cautiously supportive. Advancing reactor technology and small modular reactors have real potential as part of a clean energy transition, and I want to make sure we're weighing that seriously alongside costs, nuclear waste management, and safety. Utah's energy future has to balance reliability, affordability, and environmental responsibility. I don't think any single source gets us there alone.
