Happy Friday from #OneUtah, a weekly update from the office of Gov. Spencer J. Cox. Here’s your recap of what we did this week, what's on the horizon, and more. Thank you for subscribing!

One Utah Summit

This week we joined leaders across Utah in Cedar City for the rural One Utah Summit!

The One Utah Summit gives us the opportunity to meet with rural leaders and plan for the future of our state. Rural Utah is where our roots are — and rural issues are a top priority of our administration. 

Here’s some highlights: 

• We recognized county commissioners who are on their last term in office.

• We met with health care stakeholders to discuss the importance of expanding access to health care in rural Utah. 

• We announced Operation Gigawatt – learn more below!

• We presented the Rural Leadership awards. 

• We discussed democracy, the economy and how to preserve our systems with columnist Jonah Goldberg. 

• We joined Rural Radio live from Cedar City!

Thanks to Southern Utah University for an amazing three days! We look forward to next year. 

Operation Gigawatt

When I became governor, we knew we needed to increase energy production — for a lot of reasons. This week at the One Utah Summit, we announced “Operation Gigawatt,” an initiative to double our reliable energy production in the next decade. By harnessing geothermal, nuclear, natural gas, storage, and more, we're paving the way for a sustainable energy future.

Operation Gigawatt has four key goals:

1. Increasing transmission capacity

2. Expanding and developing more energy production. 

3. Enhancing Utah’s policies to enable clean and reliable energy.

4. Investing in Utah innovation and research that aligns with our energy policies.

We need significantly more power to meet current and future energy needs — our health, well-being and quality of life depend on it. Let’s work together to create a sustainable energy future! Learn more here.

Ensuring Utah’s Future

Lt. Gov. Henderson led a panel at the One Utah Summit, focusing on the critical issue of natural resource management in our state. She was joined by experts Josh Brown, from the Utah Manufacturers Association, Kim Shelley, with the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, and Brian Steed, at the USU Janet Quinney Lawson Institute for Land, Water and Air. The panel explored how we currently manage the delicate balance between fostering growth and preserving Utah's abundant natural resources, and how we can continue to balance it as we expand. 

The Lt. Gov. also spoke on the main stage to share her message on how we can all learn from our past to build a brighter future, taking inspiration from her grandfather who sang the song “Gonna Build a Mountain.” If you need a little inspiration, you can listen here.

ICYMI

• Utah is leading the way with housing solutions. As the housing crisis reaches critical levels, we’ve launched the National Housing Crisis Task Force to create scalable solutions for affordable housing. Together, we can ensure everyone has a place to call home. Read our new op-ed here. 
• Lt. Gov. Henderson spoke at the University of Utah’s Hinckley Institute last week. Read more about her visit here.

Coming up

• Oct. 14 - Our offices will be closed for Columbus Day.

• Oct. 15 - Ballots will be mailed to all active voters. Make sure you sign up at trackmyballot.utah.gov to get notifications.

• Oct. 15 - We will be joining the Department of Public Safety for a press conference.

• Oct. 15 - Looking forward to attending the Special Olympics Unified Soccer Championship!

• Oct. 15 - Looking forward to meeting with the Community Builders Coalition!

Get involved!

Looking for a new job opportunity? With great employee benefits and versatile work schedules, the career opportunities with the state are truly rewarding. Join Team Utah today! 

Those looking to volunteer can also consider more than 300 boards and commissions. Find out which openings are available and how you can get involved here!

Get in touch!