Economic Identity · District 20 · Annette McRae
District 20 · Economic Identity

District 20 Already
Has What It Needs.

Energy, agriculture, tourism, and transportation. The resources are here. The workforce is here. The missing piece is connecting the system — and planning it before it breaks.

What Drives This District

Four Pillars. One System.

District 20 isn’t built on one industry. It’s built on four that depend on each other. When one falls behind, the others feel it.

Energy

The Uintah Basin is one of Utah’s primary energy production regions. Oil and gas support jobs, local economies, and national energy security. Infrastructure decisions — transportation, refining, emissions — affect both the Basin and the Wasatch Back. Those decisions need to be made together, not in isolation.

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Agriculture

Farms and ranches across District 20 aren’t just economic assets — they’re how water stays in productive use, how rural communities stay viable, and how our identity stays intact. Farmers grow the food. Communities need the food. Infrastructure connects the two. Without that connection, value leaves the district.

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Tourism & Recreation

The Wasatch Back draws year-round visitors — ski season traffic, summer recreation, the 2034 Winter Olympics on the horizon. Tourism supports real jobs. It also creates real pressure on housing, water, transportation, and air quality. That pressure has to be planned for — not reacted to after it’s already a problem.

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Transportation & Freight

District 20 depends on reliable transportation corridors — canyon choke points, Highway 40, freight routes that carry energy products through communities. When transportation fails it affects energy distribution, food access, workforce mobility, and emergency response. Freight policy should never be written without the people who drive the trucks.

The Core Problem

These Systems Are Treated
Like They’re Separate. They’re Not.

Housing moves forward without infrastructure. Transportation gets fixed after it fails. Water planning lags behind growth. Economic decisions get made in isolation from the systems that make them work.

That’s how costs rise. That’s why communities feel the strain. And that’s what happens when government reacts instead of plans.

  • Energy development that doesn’t account for transportation risk pushes the cost onto highways and communities
  • Agriculture that loses water access loses the ability to feed local communities
  • Tourism growth that outpaces housing and transportation creates a workforce that can’t afford to live where it works
  • Freight systems designed without rail options create permanent highway dependency
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District 20 already has the resources, the workforce, and the opportunity. The missing piece is connecting the system.
What a Strong Economic System Looks Like

Stability by Design —
Not Reaction.

Long-term economic strength in District 20 doesn’t come from picking one industry over another. It comes from aligning the systems that support all of them.

  • Energy aligned with transportation and air quality — so production doesn’t push risk onto highways and communities
  • Agriculture supported by water security — so farms stay viable and food stays local
  • Tourism balanced with housing and transportation capacity — so workers can afford to live in the communities they serve
  • Freight systems designed for risk reduction — rail for long haul, trucks for last mile
  • Local decisions protected — state sets guardrails, communities make decisions
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The Campaign Frame
Strong communities come from strong systems — not isolated decisions.
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District 20 by the Numbers
5 counties — Summit, Wasatch, Duchesne, Uintah, Daggett
2 distinct regions — Wasatch Back mountains + Uintah Basin desert
1 shared snowpack, water cycle, and power grid
2034 Winter Olympics — hard deadline for infrastructure performance
Uinta Railway projected completion ~2029
What Annette Is Working On
Basin refining expansion — keep value and jobs in the district
Farm-to-school infrastructure connecting Basin producers to Wasatch Back communities
Heber Valley corridor EIS comments — transportation planning before crisis
Rail-first freight framework — reduce Highway 40 hazardous exposure
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Why It Matters

Three Questions Every
District 20 Family Asks.

When economic systems aren’t aligned, families pay the price. These are the questions that shouldn’t be hard to answer.

01

Can workers afford to live near their jobs — or are they driving two hours a day because housing didn’t keep up?

02

Can farmers reliably get products to market — or does food leave the region before it ever reaches local tables?

03

Can communities grow without breaking infrastructure — or are roads, water, and schools always one development behind?

Ready to Connect
the System?

Join the campaign. Help build District 20 the right way.