OUR 
WORK

Prosperity 2030 is our overarching policy plan to reduce emissions by 50% along the Wasatch Front by 2030. Our policies target pollution from transportation, buildings, industrial point sources, and more.  EMISSION OUTLOOK In the next decade, the state will allow emissions from mining and industrial sources to increase. Due to federal and state standards, some emission sources will decrease, but the Wasatch Front is not on track for a 50% reduction by 2030. POLICY PLAN The  Prosperity 2030 policy plan addresses emissions from four main sources. Area Sources Incentivize low-emission home appliances and rooftop solar Mobile Sources Phase out high-emission heavy-duty vehicles and incentivize electric state vehicles Non-Road Sources Incentivize electric lawn equipment and idle-reducing locomotives Point Sources Register diesel mining equipment and set standards for halogen emissions

On average, we lose 2-5 years of our lives simply by breathing the air of northern Utah, and our economy loses $2 billion annually in direct and indirect impacts from pollution. During the 2023 legislative session, we helped pass Phase 1 of Prosperity 2030 — HB 220 (Emissions Reduction Amendments) — into law! HB 220 sets a standard on halogen emissions from industrial sources, specifically bromine pollution, which increases our winter-time inversion up to 25%. HB 220 is a monumental win, and the most impactful piece of air quality legislation passed in the state in decades.

We are facing a water crisis in need of immediate attention. The health of the Great Salt Lake affects agriculture, air quality and climate, surrounding ecosystems, and much more. As a community, we’ve come a long way in bringing attention to GSL over the last few years. However, our lawmakers have yet to meet the moment and urgency needed to address the issues. In order to move our solutions forward, we need to deepen our relationships with lawmakers and come to the table with clear ideas to get water to GSL and to ensure better coordination across the watershed.

Stewardship Utah's goals for air quality, water, clean energy, and public lands are each intertwined with climate change. It is our responsibility to hold Utah's leaders accountable and pass policies to reduce our carbon emissions and protect our ecosystems in the name of climate.

Utah is known for breathtaking public lands and world class outdoor recreation, and with that comes conflicts with how these lands are managed or threats to their very existence. Before becoming Stewardship Utah, the Rural Utah Project was involved in several coalitions to save some of the most pristine wild spaces in Utah. Most recently we joined the Nine Mile Canyon Coalition to protect Nine Mile Canyon’s Gate Canyon from being paved. This would’ve destroyed rock art and historic sites throughout Gate Canyon to realign and pave this rarely-used road. During the 2024 legislative session, we were prepared to fight against funding for this project however no initiatives to do so took place. We are still working to ensure the protection of this historic area. In March of 2022, we successfully stopped the Book Cliffs Highway after 30 years of fighting. Similar to our current issues going on with Nine Mile Canyon, the Book Cliff Highway project would have destroyed 19 known cultural sites within the study corridor.

Utah is leading the nation in voting policy concerning voting by mail, providing same-day registration, and more. Despite this, every year our voting rights are attacked by members of the legislature. Our goal is to not only protect our way of voting in Utah but to push for bold policies to make voting even more accessible so that every Utahn’s voice can be heard. As the Rural Utah Project, we have developed a track record of defending Utahn’s access to vote by mail. We have turned out rural activists from across Utah to protect our way of life and talk to their representatives. As Stewardship Utah, we look forward to proactively protecting these rights with innovative policies. 92% of Utahns vote by mail.