{"id":916,"date":"2026-05-31T15:10:13","date_gmt":"2026-05-31T15:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=916"},"modified":"2026-05-31T15:10:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-31T15:10:13","slug":"opinion-utah-leaders-are-looking-toward-the-future-with-optimism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=916","title":{"rendered":"Opinion: Utah leaders are looking toward the future with optimism"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Something\u2019s the matter with Utah. Its political, civic and entrepreneurial leaders appear to have missed the message that America is in a malaise. They are actively ignoring a tech-lash that frames AI as a harbinger of a bleaker future rather than as a tool to spread human flourishing. Also, they\u2019re building big things at a time when regulations of a bygone era are blocking the housing, energy and transportation infrastructure required for a better tomorrow.<\/p>\n

Read more The sweet smell of a second chance<\/a><\/p>\n

America has become the home of the bleak, at least according to a recent Pew poll. The majority of Americans \u2014 nearly 60% \u2014 claim that the country\u2019s best days are behind us. That sentiment is even higher among middle- and working-class Americans. Not only do many of us think that we\u2019ve already peaked as a country, but they also foresee a continued decline. A plurality are more pessimistic than optimistic when they think about the country 50 years from now. <\/p>\n

This pessimism has economic, political and cultural consequences. When folks anticipate a tougher future, they avoid the sort of entrepreneurial and collaborative activities that have historically set our country apart. <\/p>\n

On the other side of the coin, optimists start businesses; optimists move to new, dynamic communities; and optimists invite others to join in their endeavors. <\/p>\n

Word hasn\u2019t spread to Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, who is explicitly, repeatedly and practically rejecting zero-sum thinking. I heard him echo this point firsthand at the Operation Gigawatt Summit. The name refers to the Governor\u2019s ambitious, inherently optimistic goal of doubling the state\u2019s energy capacity in 10 years. <\/p>\n

He plans to do so by building out new energy infrastructure. In remarks at the conference, he noted that it took just six years to build the transcontinental railroad; today, it can take double that to set up a transmission line. Operation Gigawatt also involves expanding the state\u2019s nuclear and geothermal power portfolio \u2014 two highly sustainable and innovative forms of power. <\/p>\n

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Pessimists would likely scoff at such initiatives. They weren\u2019t on the Summit\u2019s guest list. Optimists showed up in spades (there was actually an extensive waitlist). <\/p>\n

\n
Related<\/div>\n
Energy and political power brokers descend on Utah for Operation Gigawatt<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Summit brought together state legislators, federal officials and, most importantly, builders, to discuss how to power America\u2019s technological and economic ambitions. Breakout sessions highlight how companies like Torus and Base Power are partnering with Utah to make their technologies available sooner thanks to a favorable regulatory posture and commitment to shaping the future rather than lamenting it. Attendees spent meals and networking periods debating how to get stuff done \u2014 a refreshing alternative to online discourse that usually involves pointing fingers and litigating the past. <\/p>\n

For those who couldn\u2019t make it out to Park City, there\u2019s a template for optimism that they can follow and implement in their own community. First, dare to announce bold plans. I\u2019m convinced that part of the reason people are concerned about the future is that too few of us are talking about how we\u2019re going to make that future brighter, greener and more prosperous. <\/p>\n

Second, dare others to join you. People get off the sidelines (and sign off of X) when they\u2019re asked to contribute to big ideas. Start your own Summit, launch your own community and find other ways to help folks get involved. Third, be ruthlessly committed to solving problems. Momentum behind such visions and collaborations will grind to a halt if folks feel like they\u2019re just spinning their wheels. Follow Utah\u2019s lead by taking specific and tangible steps toward what may have once seemed impossible. <\/p>\n

Utah\u2019s lesson is not that every state should copy its energy plan, its regulatory posture or its political culture. The lesson is that communities still have agency. They can choose scarcity or abundance. They can treat AI, energy, housing and infrastructure as sources of conflict, or as tests of whether self-government can still solve hard problems at speed. Utah has chosen the latter course. At a moment when much of the country is narrating decline, Utah is convening builders, clearing paths and asking what it would take to make the next decade better than the last. That may be the most important infrastructure project of all: restoring the expectation that the future can be improved by people willing to build it.<\/p>\n

Read more Opinion: The immigration memo that threatens 74 years of U.S. policy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Optimists start businesses; optimists move to new, dynamic communities; and, optimists invite others to join in their endeavors<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guest-opinion"],"yoast_head":"\nOpinion: Utah leaders are looking toward the future with optimism - American Movers Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=916\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Opinion: Utah leaders are looking toward the future with optimism - American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Optimists start businesses; optimists move to new, dynamic communities; and, optimists invite others to join in their endeavors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/americanmovershub.com\/?p=916\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"American Movers Hub\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-31T15:10:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=916#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=916\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b68c8483906c0d2987f271455f0177af\"},\"headline\":\"Opinion: Utah leaders are looking toward the future with optimism\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-31T15:10:13+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=916\"},\"wordCount\":778,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=916#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/7eb6e11eefab523ae0a0d7d2590081d6.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Guest Opinion\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=916#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=916\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/americanmovershub.com\\\/?p=916\",\"name\":\"Opinion: Utah leaders are looking toward the future with optimism - 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