Salt Lake Valley residents know the feeling: waking up to a thick gray haze that settles over the valley and lingers for days, sometimes weeks. Winter temperature inversions trap fine particulate pollution between the Wasatch and Oquirrh mountain ranges, and our district—on the west side of Salt Lake City—sits right in the heart of it. In January 2026, Salt Lake City ranked among the worst cities in the nation for air quality during one of these inversion events.

But air quality isn’t just a winter problem. Summer brings ground-level ozone, and the shrinking Great Salt Lake is exposing lakebed dust that carries heavy metals into the air we breathe. Children, older adults, and those with respiratory conditions are hit hardest — and on the Westside, many of our neighbors work outdoors or live near industrial corridors and major roadways where pollution concentrates.

Jeneanne believes that breathing clean air is not a luxury — it’s a basic right. In the legislature, she will advocate for:

• Stronger emission standards for industrial facilities, data centers, and heavy-duty vehicles operating in the Salt Lake Valley, which are responsible for a disproportionate share of our pollution.

• Expanded air-quality monitoring on the Westside so residents have real-time data about the air in their own neighborhoods—not just averages from sensors miles away.

• Investments in public transit and electric vehicle infrastructure to reduce tailpipe emissions, which account for roughly 39% of the man-made pollution along the Wasatch Front.

• Protecting and fully funding the Division of Air Quality, ensuring the state maintains robust enforcement even as federal environmental standards face uncertainty.

• Support for community-level solutions such as tree canopy expansion, indoor air purifier programs, and public health advisories available in multiple languages.

Air quality deeply connects public health, the Great Salt Lake, housing, and economic opportunity. Jeneanne will bring an integrated approach to this crisis on Capitol Hill—because the air doesn’t stop at district lines.