The Carbon County Chamber of Commerce welcomed a special guest to their monthly meeting on Friday– Governor Gary Herbert. The governor shared his belief that the state’s economy is strong relative to other states in the country because of hard work and good policy, not simply by chance.
Governor Herbert recognized, “All of us working together is what creates economic expansion and economic opportunity to create wealth and to create jobs not only for ourselves, but for the rising generation. That’s really something we need to focus on, and I am focused on it. My number one issue is what can we to grow the economy andВ create jobs.”
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Many are concerned about the economic struggle of the nation, especially here in Utah. Herbert made the point that the number one goal should be to create stable jobs, jobs with certainty and predictability. He related, “The good news is, our economy is turning around. Its growing again, and we are creating jobs here in the state of Utah. We are a fast growing state.”
Herbert is excited to welcome many of his fellow governors to the state for a conference to be held in July. He explained that they are excited to come for a variety of reasons, one being that they see that Utah is doing well economically, and want to learn from that.
Compared to other states, Herbert said, we are doing well and are fortunate to live in Utah. “I’m proud of America, but I am grateful to from Utah,” he expressed, revealing that some states are being required to take extreme measures to balance their budgets: Arizona sold their state capitol and the supreme court building; California is seen nowВ as a greater credit risk than Portugal; Michigan just approved a plan that will close half of their public schools, in an effort to try to follow Utah’s approach, has hired Herbert’s own budget director; and Illinois, in order to try to cover their budget, has raised taxes by 67 percent.
The governor also related that many states are saying they have are losing jobs to Utah. “It’sВ the oldВ Brigham Young thing,” Herbert joked. “This is the right place– it’s the right place for business.”
The governor also commented on the importance he places on energy, revealing that the state has put together a ten year energy plan. He believes that many do not really grasp the realities of energy production, saying that they think of it as magic, but that Utah’s citizens understand how much hard work goes into making the energy they use every day.
“The practical reality is our base flow for energy over the next generation is going to come from fossil fuel or nuclear power,” the governor said. “It’s not going to come from wind; it’s not going to come from solar; it’s not going to come from hydro; it’s not going to come from geothermal; [though] they will have roles to play. I embrace all forms of energy in a free market system.”
Governor Herbert related that many business owners have made contact with him and his staff about business regulations. In an effort toВ respond and sort out the issues, the governor is having cabinet members and department heads go through and review all business regulations in the state– more than 2000 of them. They are looking at each of them and trying to figure out which are appropriate and which are not. If anyone hasВ input, they are encouraged to visit the relatedВ website, and submit concerns atВ stateregulationreview@utah.gov.