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** Letter from Gov. Cox: Powering our future together
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Across the West, governors are wrestling with the same challenge: making sure families and businesses have enough reliable, affordable energy to power everything from our homes and farms to the data centers driving artificial intelligence. This week, as chair of the Western Governors’ Association, I’m meeting with governors ([link removed]) from both parties to compare notes and borrow each other’s best ideas. The demand for electricity is rising far faster than most of us predicted even a few years ago, and it is no longer a partisan question. Every governor I talk to knows we need more power, from more sources, delivered more quickly and more efficiently.
In Utah, we just took an important step in that direction. Brigham City ([link removed]) is emerging as a leader in the nuclear renaissance. Through Operation Gigawatt and a new partnership between Hi Tech Solutions, Holtec International, our universities, and state and local leaders, we will manufacture advanced reactor components, train a world-class workforce, and strengthen reliable, affordable power for Utah and the nation. Utah is building energy security, national security, and opportunity for generations to come.
This is what I mean when I talk about “superabundance.” For generations, some have argued that people are the problem and that we are destined to run out of what we need, but history shows the opposite. When free people are allowed to solve problems, they find new ways to use the same raw materials and create more opportunities, not less. When we stay focused on the basics: producing more energy, building more housing, and fixing what is broken instead of fighting over everything, we can rebuild trust and leave our kids a country that is stronger, freer, and more united than the one we inherited.
** Honoring Utah artists at the Governor’s Mansion
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Along with First Lady Abby Cox, Gov. Cox recently welcomed guests to the Governor’s Mansion for an evening celebrating Utah’s artists and the tradition of opening the Mansion as a gathering place for arts and culture. Supported by the Governor’s Mansion Foundation, these Governor’s Mansion Artist Awards honored visual artist Jeff Pugh, whose distinctive landscapes are featured in the state art collection, and Academia Mis Raíces, founded by Maestro Allan Moreno, for its work helping more than 200 young people in Utah learn mariachi and honor their heritage.
** Gov. Cox highlights employees who show GRIT
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Since launching earlier this year, the state’s GRIT program has empowered employee-led improvements that have saved an estimated $7 million. Gov. Spencer Cox recently highlighted the standout employees behind these efforts — from streamlining permits at the Utah Department of Environmental Quality to improving mapping and licensing tools at the Utah Department of Natural Resources.
See the GRIT dashboard ([link removed])
** Utah’s centenarian veterans honored at the Capitol
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Utah’s centenarian veterans gathered with family, friends, and dignitaries in the Rotunda at the Utah State Capitol. Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson honored the enduring legacy of the Greatest Generation and their commitment to community, family, state, and nation, noting that these men and women are living links to history whose service helped build a better future for all of us.
** Elected Women of Utah panel on integrity
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The Elected Women of Utah hosted a panel featuring Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson on navigating high-tension moments with integrity. Utah women elected to public office heard panelists discuss how they handle difficult public situations while standing firm in their beliefs.
** State agency updates
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Veterans and families can share military service stories with America 250 Utah, an initiative of Utah’s Department of Cultural & Community Engagement. This video storytelling project helps generations understand the cost of freedom and the responsibility of service. Record your story here. ([link removed])
In fiscal year 2024–25, the Utah Department of Natural Resources’ Watershed Restoration Initiative improved 144,433 acres of high-priority watersheds and habitat across the state. Learn more. ([link removed])
The Division of Air Quality launched a fugitive dust workgroup with legislators, local officials, advocacy groups, and industry leaders to draft legislation that reduces dust from gravel pits while allowing improvements. The proposal will go to lawmakers next week.
Director Dustin Jansen presented a Navajo sandpainting and shared a Kiowa song at last month’s launch of the USS Utah submarine, representing the Utah Division of Indian Affairs in the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement and honoring Native American military service.
Students at Valley Junior High in Granite School District recently joined Latin dancer Frida Moses for a Living Folk Arts Education workshop. The Utah Division of Arts & Museums in the Department of Cultural & Community Engagement offers dozens of free workshops and performances. Request a workshop. ([link removed])
The Utah Department of Natural Resources has approved more than $1.5 million to fund 10 boating access projects across the state, with construction expected to begin in 2026 to improve facilities and access for Utah boaters. More here. ([link removed])
Utah State Historic Preservation Officer Chris Merritt, with the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, told Congress that Utah now completes historic preservation reviews in about seven days—less than half the 30 days required in federal law. Watch the hearing here. ([link removed])
The Utah Division of Outdoor Recreation awarded $21 million to 38 projects through the Outdoor Recreation Initiative, supporting trail networks, land acquisitions, restoration work, and long-term planning that strengthen regional collaboration and shape the future of outdoor recreation across Utah.
Read250 celebrates stories for America’s 250th anniversary. Through the Utah State Library, a division of the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement, Beehive Library Consortium patrons get free access to history titles in the Libby app. Start your Read250 journey here. ([link removed])
With new federal support for National History Day, the Utah Historical Society—a division of the Utah Department of Cultural & Community Engagement—is expanding teacher workshops on historical thinking and project-based learning for educators in Salt Lake, Weber, Davis, and Utah counties. Learn more here. ([link removed])
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