[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 137 (Tuesday, August 20, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1061]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





             TRIBUTE TO THE WASATCH FRONT REGIONAL COUNCIL

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BEN McADAMS

                                of utah

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, August 20, 2019

  Mr. McADAMS. Madam Speaker, I would like to congratulate the Wasatch 
Front Regional Council on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, 
celebrated this year on March 28, 2019.
  WFRC is the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the majority of 
the Wasatch Front Region in Utah. It is a collaborative body comprised 
of city and county officials, transportation agencies, and other 
stakeholders, who work together to plan for the future of the Region. 
As a convener, WFRC works with its partners to build consensus and 
enhance quality of life by developing and implementing visions and 
plans for a well-functioning multi-modal transportation system, livable 
communities, a strong economy, and a healthy environment.
  The Region's geography is unique. Bounded east and west by mountains 
and lakes, the linear metropolitan area extends 100 miles north to 
south, along the Wasatch Mountains. The majority of Utah's population 
lives in the Region. Since 1969, Utah's population has grown from just 
over 1 million to over 3 million today, and it is projected to top 5 
million by 2050. This growth presents challenges, but also tremendous 
opportunities, on which WFRC seeks to capitalize through proactive, 
collaborative planning and implementation.
  Utah is widely referred to as the Crossroads of the West. The multi-
modal transportation system that distinctively serves the broader 
Wasatch Front Region--and the nation--found its birth in the WFRC 
plans. These plans were also fundamental in development of Utah's 
Unified Transportation Plan, the first comprehensive, coordinated, 
multimodal statewide transportation plan in the nation, which has 
received recognition as a national best practice from the U.S. 
Department of Transportation and others.
  On transportation and other quality of life issues such as land use, 
housing, and economic development, WFRC and its partners have kept an 
eye to the future and a cooperative spirit. This has been instrumental 
to developing and maintaining one of the top-rated economies and most 
enviable places to live, work and play in the nation.
  The Wasatch Front Regional Council is a fine example of how 
collaborative efforts will continue to shape plans looking ahead to 
2050 and beyond, helping to ensure high quality of life for Utah's 
current residents and generations to come.

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