Utah’s 3rd Congressional District candidates clashed Friday over how to manage the land and natural resources that define much of their newly-redrawn district.
Republican Celeste Maloy and Democrat Kent Udell are competing to represent a sprawling district, stretching across eastern and southern Utah and into parts of the Wasatch Front.
Maloy currently represents Utah's 2nd District but is now running in the 3rd after court-ordered redistricting reshaped the state's congressional map. She spent a decade as a soil conservationist and later worked as an attorney on public lands and water issues.
Her opponent, Kent Udell, is a mechanical engineer and former university professor whose work has included energy systems and groundwater cleanup.
Energy
Those backgrounds came into play as the debate turned to how Utah should produce its energy.
Maloy argued for developing a range of energy sources and letting the market determine which are economically viable.
“We're also innovating when it comes to nuclear energy," she said, "and that is probably the future of energy. We should be on the front end of that.”
Udell was more skeptical.
“I'm an energy engineer," he said. "I understand nuclear power. I understand what it takes to be running these processes. It will take a lot of water. We have not shown that they're safe, and it has not shown that it's economical.”
Water
Water was also a major focus of the debate. Both candidates said Utah needs to protect water supplies for homes and agriculture, but they differed on how to address shortages.
Udell pointed to climate change and declining supplies in the Colorado River, while Maloy emphasized new technology and keeping water management primarily with the states.
Public Lands
The divide became more apparent when the debate turned to public lands. Udell said they should remain under federal control.
“Utah is not for sale," he said. "Our lands are not for sale. Our public lands, our federal lands, are not for sale, and they are not to be taken over by a state government.”
Maloy, on the other hand, said she supports transferring limited amounts of federal land to state and local governments when needed for infrastructure.
“Generally speaking," she said, "I think the people who live closest to the land are in the best position to make decisions about how it should be managed.”
Wildfires
The candidates also disagreed over how to reduce wildfire risk.
Maloy called for more active forest management by reducing wildfire fuels and harvesting timber.
Udell responded by saying that “if we cut down all the forests, we won't have any forest fires."
"Great idea," he quipped. "That's not the way that we need to manage them.”
Maloy pushed back.
“I am not in favor of cutting down every tree in the forest," she said. "But what we have done is not cut down any trees, not reduce the fuels, and then let fire burn it all down so that we don't have a forest.”
The candidates are running to represent a district that includes all five of Utah’s national parks, major energy-producing regions, and large stretches of federally managed land.
