Legislative road trip

This archived article was written by: Nathaniel Woodward

The USU Eastern campus served as a staging point for the Utah State Legislature Rural Utah tour Sept. 16. The main speaker was Bowie Resource’s CEO John Siegel, who presented Chancellor Joe Peterson with a check for $300,000 to advance USU Eastern’s clean-coke technology and commercialization efforts.
Carbon County Commissioner Jae Potter continued with a call for citizens not to take what the federal government reports as truth. Potter asked that all should, “do their homework” in relation to climate change and what impact moving away from fossil fuels would have on the region.
Utah Lieutenant Gov. Spencer Cox spoke about the recent drowning tragedy which hit Southern Utah involving the death of nearly 20 people, including children in flash floods. Cox pointed out the opportunity the legislators had by being the first in several years to tour rural Utah as a governing body. What was once commonplace, the rural Utah tours were a staple of Capital Hill up until 2008 when they ceased. The lieutenant governor mentioned that rural Utah makes up 90 percent of the states geography, but accounts for 10 percent of its population.
Peterson spoke briefly detailing USU Eastern’s commitment to advancing coal-coke technology as well as introducing speakers. He spoke on the attributes of USU Eastern and thanked the legislature for their partnership with the university, without which, we would not have the new Central Instructional Building.