Romney’s approval jumps among Utah Republicans

The number of Utah Republicans who say they approve of Sen. Mitt Romney’s performance has jumped dramatically over the past few months, according to a new Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll.

Over the summer, Romney’s approval among Republican voters shot up from 40% in May to 56% in August. Romney still struggles with self-described “very conservative” voters, with almost half saying in the August poll they strongly disapprove of his job performance.

Overall, 54% of all Utah voters now say they strongly or somewhat approve of Romney’s performance.

The poll also shows growing support for a second run for Utah’s junior senator, who is up for reelection in 2024, with 35% of Utah voters saying they definitely want Romney to run for a second term, while 21% said maybe. Another 12% said Romney should probably not run again, and 32% said definitely not.

Voters were also asked who they would vote for in a possible 2024 primary, with Romney coming out ahead of challenger Trent Staggs, the mayor of Riverton who is campaigning to the right of Romney, and Utah Speaker Brad Wilson, who is exploring a run for the seat.

In a hypothetical match-up against Wilson and Staggs, Romney received support from 44% of respondents, while Wilson had 6% and Staggs 3%. Another 32% said another candidate and 14% said they didn’t know.

Romney has not said whether he will run again. He recently said he would decide this fall whether to seek a second term, with an announcement coming before the end of the year.

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U.S. power sector, states say Biden’s carbon rule is unrealistic

The nation’s largest power providers warn a new rule proposed by the Biden administration will cause widespread power outages in an already overstrained grid.

Both the Wyoming Energy Authority and the Utah Division of Air Quality said the carbon reductions required under the U.S. Environmental Agency’s proposal are particularly problematic for gas-fired power plants and would hasten the retirement of coal-fired generators.

What the rule proposes: The measure would establish a carbon dioxide reduction rate of 90% to be reached by 2030 for natural gas fired power plants and by the mid 2030s for combustion units.

Those reductions would supposedly come in the form of carbon capture and sequestration and co-firing with hydrogen.

“(The Utah Division of Air Quality) strongly believes that the proposed compliance deadlines are unrealistic,” wrote division director Bryce Bird.

Bird continued: "Furthermore, natural gas co-firing and especially unproven carbon capture storage will require a significant amount of time and resources to put in place, not the mere three to five years, respectively, that the EPA estimates."

The EPA says its new standards would avoid more than 600 million metric tons of carbon dioxide pollution and deliver up to $85 billion in public health and environmental benefits.

Read more about why energy authorities say the new rule is untenable.

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