September 27, 2012 (---Herbert 3rd Year---)

"I'm calling upon all Utahns to find individuals, to find families, as we go through these winter months, that you can help. Find a neighbor who needs some help and see if you can't give them some assistance." -Governor Herbert

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Good morning.

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: Good morning, Governor, thanks for joining us. I understand you have an opening statement today.

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, thank you. Before we take questions, let me just make mention, I think most of us recognize that Utah's received some really good news over the past number of weeks and months on the economy. Our economy's growing again, we've created about 65,000 jobs since the trough when we hit in 2010, our unemployment rate has dropped from 8.3 percent down to the most recent number here just a week ago is 5.8 percent. A lot of good news.

My concern is that we get too complacent. We recognize that things are getting better but we forget there are people out there that are still hurting. We still have too many people unemployed. We have too many people that are below the poverty line. And as we move into the fall and winter season, I think it's incumbent upon us as Utahns to recognize that government isn't going to be able to solve all the problems. We sometimes think it will, but it can't.

And so I'm calling upon all Utahns to find individuals, to find families, as we go through these winter months, that you can help. Find a neighbor who needs some help and see if you can't give them some assistance. And I think together, with the efforts we make through the government programs, but through the private sector donations and being good neighbors and taking care of those you can, we can really make a big difference in people's lives. So all of us have more we can do, and I'm calling upon Utahns to look for opportunities to help other people.

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: Governor, to follow up, in a spirit, the Republican national presidential campaign has asked voters to consider, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago? Where are you now in your own economic well being?" And as you point out, Utah seems to have a fairly rosy answer to that. Is there a disconnect, then, between what we're doing in Utah and what the Republican national party is advancing as a "cause"?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: I think the disconnect really is this, and that is what we're doing in Utah is very different than what they're doing in Washington, D.C. And so, in spite of, you know, maybe somewhat I would consider bad policy of incessant debt I mean we're at $16 trillion now. That's not sustainable. We're borrowing 40 cents out of every dollar that we spend here in this country. In Utah, though, we live within our means. We have a very solid foundation of fiscal austerity and fiscal prudence. Which gives us predictability and certainty in the marketplace. It's conducive to come and build a business in Utah, where in other parts of the country it's a little bit more shaky. So I think the policy differences are what's making the change.

I would encourage Washington, D.C. to copy and do what we're doing here in Utah, where we have competitive tax rates, we empower the private sector, we've gone through regulation reform, and consequently our economy is, in fact, improving in a much more dramatic fashion, it's growing at nearly twice the national average. So that's the contrast I'd make, is the difference in the policies of Washington, D.C. versus the policies we have here in Utah.

JEFF ROBINSON, KCPW: Governor, Mitt Romney recently made some remarks, or there was a video revealed of him making remarks about 47 percent of voters not paying any taxes, and also not having any motivation to improve their situation, like they're expecting handouts for everything from the federal government. What do you think of those comments? Do you think that they are offensive, or do you think that they're largely true?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, I think Governor Romney already has answered that question by, as it were, apologizing and saying that he was not very articulate in expressing what he was trying to express there, and that is that 47 percent of Americans don't pay taxes. You know, there's probably good reason why some do and some don't. But it ought to be an issue that we ought to discuss, and certainly those that are there that feel like we ought to have skin in the game, and everybody will be paying something. So I think that's the issue, and I think Mitt's apologized for that, and from the standpoint it was not well understood.

That being said, I think, again, we ought to make sure that the system works for everybody. If I was Governor Romney, I'd be saying, you know what? You, too, should have the opportunity to be as successful as I've been. Clearly what we're trying to do in Utah is make sure that everybody has equal opportunity to be successful in a free market situation. And we want to have people create wealth. That's how you create jobs. We want to have people that become wealthy, because they'll hire people. It's difficult to get a job from a poor person. So if we want to have jobs we need to have more people become wealthy, expand their businesses, where they will hire people. The creation of wealth is really what's made America great, and we are forgetting that somewhat in this country. We're not forgetting it in Utah, but across the country right now, those who are creating wealth and making money, sometimes, are denigrated, I think, unfairly.

JEFF ROBINSON, KCPW: Do you think Are you nervous at all about the way that Romney is running his campaign, as some Republicans have expressed doubts about the direction his campaign is going, and a lack of specifics?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, far be it from me to tell Governor Romney how to run his own campaign. I think he's making a significant headway out there. I think that it's always tough to run against an incumbent, and the powers of incumbency are real. It's hard to raise money. He's concentrated a lot on raising money, and I think that's something he needs to do to end up getting his message out. But you know, I think he's doing better than some would think in the press. I think it's mostly a dead heat, and I think the debates upcoming will be of significant importance and probably will make the difference in the outcome, come November 6th.

LISA RILEY ROCHE, DESERET NEWS: What does he need to do, Governor, in those debates, to turn this thing around at this point, and be seen as the front runner?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, I think there's a clear contrast in this year's election. You know I think it really is very stark in the difference between President Obama and his vision for America and the future, and what Governor Romney thinks should happen. President Obama definitely believes in a larger government, that government ought to be picking winners and losers. There ought to be a government program for every problem that ails us, and more intervention of government and overreach of the federal government, more centralized control and command.

Governor Romney, on the other hand, comes on a limited sized side of government, not that it shouldn't be there, but it should be limited in its scope, and we ought to have a larger section of the private sector that solves most of our problems. And in empowerment and in an encouragement and in veneration of the business entrepreneur to create wealth and create jobs, and that the private sector should pick the winners and losers. That ought to be individual responsibility that's coupled with individual liberty.

Those are the two contrasts. And I believe, if that can be illustrated in the debates and in his message, I think the American public recognizes that the vision of a limited government and private sector expansion is what's made America great, and we need to get back on track for that.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: There's been a critical legislative audit of nuclear waste regulation in Utah, and you were considering an appointment to the nuclear waste board. Have you had a chance of an industry representative. Have you had a chance to look at the audit and see if what it says you agree with, and in light of that, have you considered your nomination to the nuclear waste, to the regulatory board?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: I have had a chance to look at the audit, and it started out making sure that Energy Solutions was paying the appropriate amount of taxes in correlation to the amount of waste that they are receiving. That was the start of that. It expanded into some other areas. I'm reviewing some of it. Some of it, I think, is accurate, some of I think may not be, but I'm going to review that to see exactly what it means and what the audit should lead us to do.

That being said, I think the oversight needs of Energy Solutions, and any kind of nuclear low level waste repository, are important for the state to have oversight regarding. And to make sure that we are doing everything that we can to protect the public's health, safety, and welfare.

You know, I think that being said, the statute we have on the books right now requires us to have, in fact, a representative on the commission from that industry. I support the concept. I think it's important we do it not only with nuclear waste, but in other industries out there where we have a representative on the commission that has the oversight responsibility and develops the rules and the regulations, to have somebody from the industry that can actually speak from a personal standpoint of what we're doing when we create regulation. So the concept I approve of.

The difficulty we have in this particular case is we find that the only industry that we have in Utah is Energy Solutions. And so having somebody from there, that specific industry, on the board is somewhat problematic. We're going to take a look at that in light of the audit, we're going to take a look. Maybe we need to bring some people from out of state to sit on the board. Maybe there needs to be a review of the statute. So those are all possible, you know, reactions to the audit.

But again, at the end of the day, we want to make sure that Energy Solutions is regulated appropriately.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Have you ruled out putting an Energy Solutions person on the board, or are you just thinking about whether to put an Energy Solutions person on the board?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: You know, I'm not inclined to put an employee of Energy Solutions on the board right now. I think there are some other ways to go that would be better, will be more transparent, and it will avoid any kind of appearance of a conflict of interest. That's not to indicate that Mr. Shrum couldn't have done a good job, and probably would have, but the appearance was causing me some problems. And as the statute was, he was the only name that was proffered in a timely fashion under the statute, so we didn't have a lot of choice, and a lot of the audit, I'm going to back up and I'm going to take a look and see if there are some other options, including legislative changes.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: A second critical audit was about liquor and the liquor commission. And you thought you'd fixed that. Have you had to reconsider? Is liquor still a problem here in Utah more than you had thought after the last changes?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, I think liquor and being a control state is always an issue. I don't know that I'd characterize it as a problem. It's a challenge of making sure that we administer correctly as a control state, and make sure that we have opportunities for those who want to imbibe, that have opportunities to access alcohol and liquor in all of its forms in a reasonable and responsible way. So that's the intent, and the laws that we have on the books are designed to do that.

And as I think as we move forward, I don't know what specifically you're referencing, Rod, as far as the problem you think that we face right now. I think with the new member two additional member commission, expanded it to seven members with an embedded auditor, with the money and revenues now going through the Tax Commission, I think whatever issues we had in the past really have been taken care of, and I look to the future as being a much calmer environment for alcohol.

LISA RILEY ROCHE, DESERET NEWS: But Governor, you tried to appoint Francine Giani, your head of the Department of Commerce, to the liquor commission, and ran into some real questions from lawmakers about having a member of your executive staff on a commission. What are you going to do with that appointment, and what do you think of that concern that lawmakers have raised?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, I believe that they have legitimate questions that they're asking, and I was a little surprised about it, frankly, but it's been brought to my attention so I'm going to sit down, and am sitting down with legislators to see the legitimacy of the issue having an executive branch member on the commission. That seems to be the issue.

For me personally, I think Francine Giani has done a great job in the transition, and taking over the responsibility as the acting director of the Alcohol Beverage Control Department, and has done a great job. And my thinking was that she'd be a great help in the transition.

I think there's been some misunderstanding as far as what they think I thought her role would be. I had no intention to make her the chairman, just a member of the commission, and be there on a, probably a less than full term basis to just help with the transition. She knows all that took place when we had the problem arise, and she's helped fix the problem, so she, I think, would be a great addition to the commission. I'd still like to see her be on the commission.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: You are limiting debates, more, I think, than any gubernatorial candidate since Rampton, when, that's the first one I could remember. Is there a reason you're debating much less than any of your predecessors in the campaign?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, I think we're debating appropriately, and I would hate to correct you, there, Rod, but I think you'll find that Jon Huntsman, when he ran his second term, had one debate. He didn't have many. You know, President Obama's having three debates and running for the president of the United States, so I think three healthy debates are good for running for Governor. There's many ways to get your message out and run your campaigns, and we're trying to do the best we can.

You know, being Governor is a full time responsibility, and campaigning is really a kind of a part time effort. And so we're trying to find ways to get the message out to the public. Debates are good and healthy, and we're going to have four of them, and the need to have more, I'm not certain, is needful.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: I have a low suspicion that some of your staff said, "Governor, debates are risky. If you just don't do it, why, you're way ahead. You're probably going to win, debate or no debate, but it'll be easier and better and less risky if you just are very limited on them." Did one of your campaign staff say anything to that effect?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, first off, I like your optimism about the outcome on November 6th. But no. Frankly, debates for us are a good thing. We have a great message, and as we have opportunities to express that message to the public, you know, with the economic turnaround, the fact that we've been endorsed by the education establishment, we're raising the bar when it comes to education, the fact that we have a 10 year energy plan. We're getting great results in our production of energy. Rural economic development is up. Virtually in every measurable area, you know, we can stand pretty tall because we've had success. We've had positive improvement in virtually everything.

So in the debates, you know, we have an opportunity to get that message out there. So I don't think that's an inhibitor at all. It's a matter of time, and other ways to get the message out to the public. And you can only do so much in your 24 hour day.

DAN BAMMES, KUER: Governor, your sage grouse working group is about to come out with its plan, and something you can essentially implement by executive order. One of the concepts that runs through this plan is that it's okay to sacrifice a population in an area such as the Uintah Basin if you're protecting sage grouse elsewhere in the state. In your view, is that an appropriate way to deal with protecting sage grouse and avoiding an endangered species listing?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, I wouldn't characterize it quite that same way. I think you've got to go where you have appropriate balance. Saving every nesting location for the sage grouse is probably unrealistic. But we have twelve different areas around the state that are being recommended as good sage grouse habitat, that needs to be protected, and the ability for them, in fact, to go from one location to another location, the sage grouse, and visit and breed, is an important part of that aspect.

Certainly there are parts of the Uintah basin where we do have drilling and mining that's going on, that's part of our economic development, and is a needful part of our approach here in Utah also. We want to protect the sage grouse, but we also want to protect the economy. We want to protect endangered species. We also understand we need to have energy to run this country and provide better quality of life and including health care. So it's an appropriate balanced approach that Utah is taking, and I think when we have the recommendation come forward and get public comment, I think people will embrace, in fact, the effort we're making here in Utah as a very good policy that's a win win for everybody, including the sage grouse.

JEFF ROBINSON, KCPW: Governor, you recently put in some time at Mia Love's call center helping the Mia Love campaign. What do you think about this pretty divisive race? Certainly one of the more, you know, negative we're seeing here in Utah. What do you think of Jim Matheson's record versus Mia Love's record?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, I like them both. They're both friends of mine, and so, again, I think they're great individuals and high integrity, and good people. And that's where you want to start. That being said, it probably doesn't surprise anybody, as a Republican Governor, I'm supporting the Republican candidate. I think that we ought to concentrate on the issues, and discuss the differences that there are between the two candidates. There are differences based on their individual view of the world, but there's differences based on their party platforms, and those are important issues that ought to be discussed so that the public, then, can decide where they want to come down and vote.

And the outside money, the negative campaigning, you know, having gone through a very negative campaign a couple of years ago by my opponent then, I understand that is not the way to do politics in Utah. And for those who are out there involved in the negative side of either of their campaigns, I call upon them to stop it. The people of Utah don't want to hear the negativity, we want to hear what you can offer as you come forward and talk about the real significant challenges that we face here in this country, emanating out of Washington, D.C. And what are you going to do to change it? What are you going to offer, in fact, to help turn this country around? That's what the people of Utah want to hear, particularly in the 4th District.

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: Your colleague and predecessor, Jon Huntsman, Junior, this week, indicated that any rational actor, if put into a room by themselves, would never come up with the campaign laws that we presently function under, and that money has become an obscene influence that debases the political process. Now pretty strong language from him. But as a person who's seen first hand the role of the dollar in political campaigning, both federally and statewide, how is your take on the way financing shapes so much of the political campaigning and political tone this time of year?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: I think the biggest problem is not the amount of money being spent, but the fact that it can be done anonymously. Nobody knows where the money's coming from, and you can say anything under this shield of anonymity and not be held accountable for it. And so the fact that we have these PACs that nobody knows who belongs to, and who's contributing the money, I think, is troublesome. And so the best thing we could do to improve campaign finance laws is to have transparency so we know where every dollar comes from, and who's behind the donation.

Again, campaigns are about getting your message out, and certainly it's more difficult today. There's so many forms of media out there, and mediums that you need to access to get the word out there. And unfortunately, some of the most vitriolic stuff that comes, whether it's on the comment boards, in the newspapers, or on our television comment capability, it's done anonymously. And people can say most any despicable thing that, and many times is not even factually accurate.

So I think transparency and openness. You have to spend the money, and if you're an average guy like me, you have to raise it from other sources. If you're a rich person you can self fund them, that's okay. But it's still an amount of money but it comes from an individual. It's the anonymity and the lack of transparency that I think is the biggest problem with campaign finance.

DAN BAMMES, KUER: Utah, back in the 1970's, had one of the best voter turnout ratios in the country. It's gone, in the past couple of elections to having among the worst voter turnout ratios. Utah Foundation research indicates that many people believe the races in Utah aren't competitive any more. Do you see that as an issue, and what can be done to improve voter participation?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, ask, you know, Mia Love and Jim Matheson whether races are competitive or not. You know, that certainly is one that's very competitive. I expect the Salt Lake County mayor's race with Mark Crockett and Ben McAdams is going to be a very competitive race, and there's probably some other legislative races out there that are very competitive. You know, the pendulum swings back and forth in the marketplace, and certainly the marketplace of ideas, and the public will make some determinations as far as who they think should be in elected office.

Sometimes it's we, the candidates, that are not very good at getting people to show up. We're not inspiring, we're not motivating them to come in and participate. I'm appreciative of the fact that, at least in the Utah system this past year, we had a record turnout to our caucuses. I think that bodes well for the future. And we need to have more participation. And our system works very well when everybody participates. It does not work as well when only a few people participate, particularly in Utah with our caucus system.

ROD DECKER, KUTV: Utah has about 52,000 people who don't have Medicaid now, but would qualify if the Affordable Care Act, Obama's care act, goes into effect, and if Utah decides to sign up. You've said you're waiting until after the election until you know more about what's going to happen. But do you have any thoughts now about whether Utah ought to put those people on to Medicaid, or whether Utah ought to decide not to?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, I think the issue really is what can we do to get the best quality health care to the most people out there that need it? And the system can be either a free market approach or more of a government approach, and probably going to be a combination of both.

It's not just a matter of waiting for the election, because clearly we're going to have a different set of directions if Governor Romney is elected as opposed to if we re elect President Obama when it comes to nationalized health care. But there's still a lot of questions that we've been trying to get from the Department of Health, Secretary Sebelius, as far as, and what does that mean to Utah and our approach to health care? What happens with our own exchange? Can we get more flexibility? Can we have bloc granting of money, as opposed to having to follow the national model mandate which doesn't work for us in Utah as a one size fits all approach? So there's a lot of questions that need to be answered so that we can maximize the taxpayers' dollars and get the best coverage we can for the most people.

DAVID MONTERO, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE: Governor, I'd like to go with the Latino vote real quickly. Do you actually The Republican party seems to have an issue with Latinos, and in the state legislature, this election there's nine Latinos running on the Democrat side, there's one Latino running on the Republican side. Latinos are overwhelmingly supporting Obama right now over Romney. What does the party need to do to reach out to Latinos?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, as Marco Rubio has said many times, we need to make sure that the Latinos understand the message of the Republican party. And you know, we line up very well with hard working Latino families that we really, I think, with the principles embodied in the party platform of the Republican party, really line up good. Unfortunately, the immigration issue, which nobody seems to want to tackle, has been kind of kicking the can down the road, has put us in a position where we are saying, law enforcement, and make sure that we enforce the rule of law, which has been offputting for some of the Latino community. And I think sometimes Republicans lose the kind of "I care" debate. We're so concentrating on teaching people how to fish so they can take care of themselves for the lifetime, we forget that they're hungry and we need to give them a fish now and find a way for them so they don't starve to death in the immediate time. So we need to do a better job of getting the message out to Latinos, and show them that we really are the party that lines up better with their own values.

DAVID MONTERO, SALT LAKE TRIBUNE: There's time running out on that because Mark Shurtleff has said that he thinks the Latino vote may be lost forever if the Republicans continue down this road.

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Well, I don't know that time's running out forever. You know, there's again, the pendulum back and forth. We need to probably tighten up our message when it comes to all minorities, not just Latinos, but African Americans, and Pacific islanders, and others out there. We have a party platform that should embrace all people, and I do believe embraces all people. It's about opportunity, for everybody. Individual responsibility, but equal opportunity for everybody to succeed in a free market system beyond anybody's wildest dreams. We have the family values that people, most of the Americans espouse. So again, we need to do a better job of messaging and recruiting and getting people to understand the Republican party's inclusive for everyone.

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: Governor, less than a minute left. Many people are still trying to get themselves through how dry this summer was. We saw evidence in the wildfires, we see reservoirs very, very low levels. What level of concern do you have about our state's ability to deal with going into the winter, what appear to be drought conditions?

GOVERNOR HERBERT: Yes. Well, conservation's got to be a big part of what we do going forward. Water is a big issue for me, and is sometimes not one that's talked about too much in the press. It will during times of drought, but during times of plenty it kind of goes to the back burner. But water is the only limiting factor for growth and success in Utah. So it's something we need to address. We have a slow the flow campaign, slow the flow, save H2O. More of us need to do more of that when it comes to conservation. And we're putting together for next year a plan for 2050 on water development conservation in Utah.

KEN VERDOIA, KUED: An unfair amount of time. Thank you, Governor, for your time. We'll see you next month on the Governor's News Conference.

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