The ski resort industry is urging U.S. senators to reject a plan that would end twice-a-year clock changing with a permanent daylight saving time, arguing the loss of an hour of sunshine on winter mornings could endanger resort workers prepping ski areas and delay opening times.
“Operating safely in alpine environments requires adequate morning sunlight,” reads a Sept. 10 letter sent from five resort trade groups and two resort companies representing 115 ski areas in 10 states to 19 U.S. senators, urging opposition to the Sunshine Protection Act of 2026.
The House passed the bill July 14 in a 308-117 vote, with some of the 36 sponsoring lawmakers — 33 Republicans and three Democrats — citing an October 2025 poll of 1,289 adults by the Associated Press showing only 12% of Americans like changing their clocks twice a year. A Gallup Poll in March 2025 showed declining support of daylight saving time and 54% of Americans ready to ditch the semiannual time changes.
Resort trade groups in Utah, Vermont, Vermont, the Pacific Northwest and the 20-member Colorado Ski Country joined ski resort owners Alterra Mountain Co. and Powdr in arguing permanent daylight saving time will injure mountain town economies and increase risks to resort workers. The industry is lobbying lawmakers to oppose the bill, saying a sunrise after 8 a.m. in Colorado, Utah and Vermont and later than 9 a.m. at resorts farther west “poses operational, economic and safety risks for our mountain communities.”
Read the whole article on the Colorado Sun's website.
