Gov. Cox grew up in rural Utah and his family has lived and farmed in Sanpete County for six generations. Up until his election as governor, he lived in Fairview and commuted 200 miles almost daily to maintain his residence there during his service as lieutenant governor.
Because he innately understands the needs of Utah’s rural areas, Gov. Cox is committed to bringing residents in every part of Utah access to the supports necessary for prosperity.
He advocates for more investments in water conservation and measures to ensure water security and preserve the Great Salt Lake. He supports farmers and ranchers by investing in more efficient agriculture water systems and promoting Utah agriculture.
He endorses an “all of the above” approach to energy policy, pushing for more oil and gas production, more mining of critical minerals, more charging stations for electric vehicles and more development of wind, solar, geothermal and nuclear power sources.
Utah has been a long-time leader in expanding broadband, which will help create jobs and new economic development opportunities, and Gov. Cox will continue to find ways that aid rural businesses, schools and residents.
Gov. Cox will continue to represent and address the needs of all Utahns, no matter where they live.
FIRST-TERM ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Gov. Cox strengthened Utah rural areas by crafting a comprehensive state water plan for infrastructure, efficiency and agriculture; and supporting more than $1 billion for water conservation, agricultural optimization efforts and saving the Great Salt Lake.
He has kept 5,883 state jobs in rural Utah. That’s 27.21% of the state’s total workforce, up from 25.53% when we launched this project in March of 2021.
He has worked with rural leaders and local governments to create a new Rural Economic Development Tax Increment Finance (REDTIF) program, which provides tax credits to rural businesses. Once certain benchmarks – such as job creation and capital projects – are met, a company can receive a tax credit.
He has improved rural infrastructure — roads, bridges, broadband access, and drinking and wastewater systems — and promoted teleworking options that offer both employers and workers new opportunities to grow and thrive in rural areas.
He has promoted watershed restoration projects through Shared Stewardship and the Watershed Restoration Initiative to improve forest health and provide rural jobs, while also pushing wildfire prevention, which cut the number of human-started fires by 500 in 2022.
He coordinated with local governments and statewide leaders to improve public lands management.
He worked with tribal leaders to bring electricity and water to Westwater.
He updated the statewide energy plan and a coordinated action plan for water.
He appointed the governor’s first senior advisor of rural affairs and created a rural Governor’s Office at Southern Utah University.
He’s visited dozens of schools, businesses and community groups throughout rural Utah.
He supported the Uinta Basin Railway to create better transportation access to the Uinta Basin.