Between inversions in the winter and wildfire smoke in the summer, Utah’s air quality has gotten so bad that my three year old has needed to mask up so she doesn’t damage her lungs. And our state legislature has been responding to this problem in the most backward way possible: by raising the registration fees on clean vehicles, making them more expensive for people to own.

Clean electric vehicles are a core solution to our air problem. Roughly half of Utah County’s air pollution comes from the exhaust of gas-powered vehicles. Globally, such vehicles are an enormous contributor to the climate change that’s superpowering wildfires across the West. Car companies have seen the writing on the wall and are already beginning the transition to electric vehicles. As a state, we must to everything we can to hasten that transition, including:

If we do these things, not only will we breathe easier, not only will our children be healthier, but we’ll also improve our economy. Dirty air increases healthcare costs, deprives us of tourism dollars, and keeps away businesses who would otherwise bring good jobs to Utah. We don’t have to live in a world where my three-year-old needs to wear a mask. But to change that, we must first change our state legislature. A vote for Daniel Craig Friend is a vote for clean air for our kids to breathe.