Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
Throughout Utah’s history, the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce has been a central player in the effort for air quality improvement—though the effect of its actions has been interpreted variously. Formed in 1902 as the Salt Lake Commercial Club and evolving over the course of a century into what is now the Salt Lake Chamber, the group was organized by the city’s leading businessmen as a vehicle to promote economic development. In the 1910s, the Chamber collaborated with the Salt Lake Council of Women on urban beautification projects. The Chamber’s official history casts the organization as a leader in the fight against air pollution, noting that the Chamber repeatedly urged the municipal government to do more about the smoke problem and even provided the city an airplane to improve its smoke inspection program.
In the present era the Salt Lake Chamber remains a central fixture of the Utah business community. “A Business Vision for Utah’s Energy Future,” a paper recently published by the Chamber, argues for Utah taking the lead in the nation’s transition to cleaner energy sources. This vision is consistent with the long history in Utah recognising that environmental stewardship is closely linked with and necessary for economic development and growth. Indeed, the Chamber sees economic growth opportunities for Utah as many new clean energy projects are built.