Gov. Herbert: Utah faces challenges but ‘the state of our state is strong’

SALT LAKE CITY — Gov. Gary Herbert laid out a trio of challenges facing Utah in his annual State of the State address Wednesday evening, but also offered assurances that “the state of our state is strong.”

At the top of the GOP governor’s list in his half-hour speech delivered in the House chambers on the third day of the 2014 Legislature was the impact of Utah’s rapid population growth on education, air quality and the state’s prison system.

Herbert said recommendations from his Clean Air Action Team to accelerate the transition to cleaner fuel and limit wood burning in non-attainment areas during the entire inversion season should be implemented immediately.