Hello there John ,

Travis here, Elections Manager for Stewardship Utah, continuing our candidate introduction series with another inspiring climate champion, Patrick Belmont. 

Patrick is a water scientist, energy expert, educator at Utah State University, and dad. A common thread in his life has been service to others in pursuit of building a better world for today and future generations. Throughout his 20+ year professional career as a researcher, educator, and communicator he has been working to solve many of the biggest challenges of our time. He prioritizes protecting water resources, making a rapid transition to clean energy, reducing risks related to wildfire, improving air quality, and solving climate change so we can leave our children a better world than the one we inhabit today.

Water is a precious resource here in Utah, supporting every aspect of our lives, from the water you use at home, to the water we use to grow food, to the water that supports our multi-billion dollar recreation industry. Yet, we don't have a single legislator with expertise in water. That’s where Patrick comes in. 

We reached out for answers and to learn about his vision for our communities to help you, as a voter, be more informed as you cast your vote. 

First and foremost, I have grown increasingly concerned about the lack of integrity in our state legislature. This issue has been exacerbated by the egregious attempt to deceive voters with the (now dead) amendment D. But that’s just one of many examples of the legislature not listening to people and not making decisions in the best interest of Utahns. Also, my areas of expertise (water and climate science, clean energy, and education) are all underrepresented in our legislature. Poor decision-making in those areas has cost Utahns a tremendous amount of money and degraded many of the environmental amenities upon which our economy and quality of life depend. We can do so much better.

I am excited to work on fixing our broken water policy in this state, supporting education and our teachers and kids, and starting to make Utah a leader in clean energy rather than clinging to coal. I am also deeply concerned about our housing affordability problem. I am very excited to be working towards solutions for renters and people trying to get into entry-level housing. These are solvable problems. The legislature simply has not been working on them.

It is important to acknowledge that most of the money we have spent so far is not resulting in getting additional water to the lake. The lake needs water, not money. To get water to the lake, we need to acknowledge that we are over-allocated for water rights and we need to build better trust and coordination among agencies, water managers, and private partners. It is also critical to acknowledge that Utah’s future is drier, even under the most aggressive greenhouse gas reduction scenarios. We are going to need to work harder and quicker than many expect. 

Energy and transportation are two critical issues to consider as Utah grows. If we continue to expand in very low-density developments, we lock ourselves into decades of a very high-energy way of life. I would like to see us keep the city in the city and the country in the country. We can have clean and efficient cities where energy, water, and material footprints can be lower while protecting the beautiful open and green space that adds so much to our quality of life. Despite tremendous population and economic growth in the last five decades, water use in municipal and industrial areas is a flat line. We can continue to increase efficiency in that water use as we grow our population.

I see a Utah that is a leader in clean energy, clean air, and all of our beautiful public lands protected in perpetuity. I see a Utah that has finally caught up and developed 21st-century water policy and management. I see a Utah where everyone is welcome, everyone has the opportunity to pursue a healthy, productive, and happy lifestyle, and every worker is offered the opportunity to earn a living wage. I don’t have any doubt that we can get there. But we need reasonable people to lean in, to step up, and to contribute however they can. We only move forward together.

Stewardship Utah is proud to endorse Patrick Belmont in this year’s election, and we look forward to working with him to achieve our goals for a healthy Great Salt Lake for all Utahns. 

Onwards,

Travis Suite,

Elections Manager

[email protected]

www.stewardshiputah.org

P.S. Interested in hearing more about Patrick Belmont's goals for the Great Salt Lake and water conservation in Utah? Our Great Salt Lake Policy Associate, Chandler Rosenberg, is moderating a panel at the Logan Library tonight from 7:00 - 8:30 PM. This discussion will dive into the challenges and opportunities surrounding water use, protecting Utah’s agricultural heritage, and sustainable growth; the role of state and local policymakers, and what it all means for the future of our communities.

Panelists include Patrick Belmont, watershed scientist and unaffiliated candidate for Utah HD-3; Barbara Tidwell, R-Logan running for re-election on the Cache County Council; Nate Daugs, farmer and manager of the Cache Water District; and ValJay Rigby, 5th gen. farmer and President of the Utah Farm Bureau.