Utah delegation briefs Wasatch Front council on tax deadlines, EPA and transportation

U.S. Rep. Blake Moore and U.S. Sen. John Curtis briefed the Wasatch Front Regional Council on federal priorities and how the congressional delegation plans to support the region’s transportation and environmental needs.

The most immediate federal concern, Moore said, is that many tax provisions enacted in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 are scheduled to expire at the end of the year. “It’s a massive, massive tax hike on Americans if we don’t get something done,” U.S. Rep. Blake Moore said, describing work in House committees to extend or make permanent some provisions.

That tax-extension work is shaping Moore’s committee focus. Moore, a member of House Ways and Means and the Budget Committee, told the council his office has been “mostly involved” in negotiating extensions and determining which provisions can be made permanent, and said the delegation wants to remain closely involved in regional infrastructure planning. He also described bipartisan outreach he said his office conducts with local officials and noted the delegation’s interest in regulatory reform under the new administration.

Sen. John Curtis, newly elected to the U.S. Senate, outlined his committee assignments and priorities. Curtis said he serves on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and the Commerce Committee — panels he said will be important for transportation policy and the 2026 federal surface transportation reauthorization. “Roads come through both of those committees,” Curtis told the council, noting the committees’ relevance to large projects and the 2034 Winter Olympics.

Curtis also discussed environmental and air-quality issues for Utah. He said he has met with the nominee to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Lee Zeldin, and that he has urged consideration of Utah’s unique geography when setting standards and compliance expectations. “We are absolutely committed to reduce ozone, but we have some geographic and geology problems,” Curtis said, pointing to local emissions and mountain inversions that can trap pollutants.

Both members said they welcome continued engagement with local officials on priorities. WFRC members emphasized the delegation’s new committee posts as beneficial to Utah, noting that the delegation is “well positioned” to shepherd federal transportation and infrastructure funding to the Wasatch Front.

Why it matters: committee assignments and federal deadlines shape what projects and programs can be funded or regulated. Committee roles give Utah members influence over surface transportation programs and environmental policy, and the timing of tax provisions could reshape federal revenue and budget negotiations.

Speakers quoted in this article are recorded in the council transcript and include U.S. Rep. Blake Moore and U.S. Sen. John Curtis. Other council members and staff appear in meeting materials and introduced the delegation.