I had the pleasure of hearing Jill Koford talking with Rep. Dr. Rosemary Lesser last Tuesday night. I won’t discuss the two candidates in District 10 per se, but I will address a concern I had regarding what Ms. Koford had to say about government regulations.

Writing and enforcing government regulations are a huge part of the job she is applying for. She worries there are too many, saying specifically that regulations raise the price of housing and increase the cost of solving our energy problems via nuclear power.

This deeply concerns me.

Ogden recently saw what happens when a builder decides regulations are too bothersome: We got a shoddily-built 5-story fire hazard in the middle of Historic 25th Street that would have gutted this town had it caught a spark.

Strict building codes, and stricter enforcement, may increase costs but they also keep children and families alive. Other regulations — curb, gutter, landscaping, zoning — determine how our city looks and lives. They are things developers always try to go cheap on as they cram apartment blocks in every nook and cranny. This is why we need more laws regulating them, not fewer.

Ms. Koford said nuclear generation is a green power solution, and well it could be, except she said regulations make it too expensive.

I would remind her that Utah is rife with people who have cancer due to nuclear testing by allegedly regulated agencies and companies in the 1950s and beyond. The US Government, then, said Utahns were a “low use population” and I have no doubt nuclear power developers, always trying to dump their waste here, still harbor such thoughts.

I know: Government and industry swear that this time they’re being safe. Builders swear they always follow every rule. If you trust that, you are a fool.

You said you treasure the lives of all Utahns, Ms. Koford. Regulations protect those lives and make Utah a pleasant, and safe, place to live. In many areas, especially with nuclear power, the Legislature needs to make more, not fewer.

If you don’t agree, I don’t want to hire you.

Charles Trentelman

Ogden