Yesterday the Utah House of Representative voted on HB 61, and I was the only legislator to vote against it. This bill is called the Water Measuring and Accounting Amendments, and on a simple level it would lay the groundwork for installing smart water meters throughout the state, which will report your water use to the State Water Engineer.

Over the past four years, the state has aggressively implemented metering of water use. I voted against HB 61 because I believe it encroaches on local water districts and irrigation companies. Centralized metering equates to centralized control. If this was an organic evolution by and for Utah, it would be a concern. The fact that these same initiatives are playing out all over the country with model legislation crafted by entities like the Carnegie Foundation, the UN, and the World Economic Forum lead me to believe that we are playing into the Biden’s commitment to the Paris Climate Accord, the 30X30 Agenda, Natural Asset Companies, etc.

It is crucial that we get water policy right in our state.

A new catch phrase this year is “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” I reject that premise, and from a policy perspective, it is justification for government surveillance and expanded control. Ubiquitous surveillance and government control of the smallest individual decisions are hallmarks of the technocratic “Smart” government that is an enormous threat to individual liberty.

On the other hand, freedom, decentralization, autonomy, and local control are hallmarks of a republican form of government.

To add insult to injury, this bill came from the State’s new Water Development Commission, which invites too much intrusion from the Executive Branch into the lawmaking process.

I voted “No” because I support separation and balance of powers.

I voted “No” because I oppose the effort to make Utah the birthplace of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

I voted “No” because I trust our local water managers to manage our water more than I trust the World Economic Forum.

I voted “No” because I value your privacy, and I’m certain that ubiquitous government surveillance will erode our freedoms.


#governbetter