TAKE ACTION: Fill out this action alert and take a moment to share your personal stories and concerns regarding air pollution. The more stories and comments that we share with our government officials, the more likely we are to see the strongest standards set for soot pollution. The deadline is March 28th.
Every winter, we have the pleasure of welcoming two interns onto our legislative team, who work alongside HEAL Utah staff to support our civic engagement and environmental policy efforts. Our interns collaborate closely and bring new perspectives and ideas to our team. We are grateful for their hard work and thank them for ensuring our legislative efforts run smoothly.
Here is a bit about this year’s interns and their amazing work.
Welcome to the final four days of this year’s legislative session! You may think things will slow down now that we are at the final stretch, but in reality, things are about to move even faster.
Legislators will rush to finalize actions on over 1,300 pieces of legislation in the upcoming days. It is crucial that you continue voicing your concerns and reaching out to your lawmakers as we race to the finish line.
Here is a breakdown of what you can expect during the rest of this week.
Utah lawmakers are trying to pass a new tax that would hurt Utahns who own electric vehicles.
To help stop this proposed 12.5% tax on EV owners in Utah, we need you to reach out to the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee and urge our lawmakers to VOTE NO or AMEND H.B. 301, titled Transportation Tax Amendments by Rep. Schultz.
Funding for zero-fares has not been identified as a top priority in the Executive Appropriations Committee and without action will not be funded.
We encourage you to reach out to members of the Executive Appropriations Committee and ask them to make a motion to include the “RFA Statewide Zero Fare Transit Pilot Program by Sen. Weiler” as a top priority for funding.
Utah Lawmakers plan to appropriate 2 million taxpayer dollars this legislative session to fund Rocky Mountain Powers’ legal lawsuit challenging the EPA’s ruling to include Utah and Wyoming in the CSAPR, better known as the “Good Neighbor Rule” of the Clean Air Act.
“We should be listening to the EPA,” said Vielleux. “The EPA has the best available science. All that ozone is crossing state borders, and it’s polluting other places. If those plants need to be shut down by the EPA, we’re going to take their word for it. Instead of spending $2 million on a lawsuit, maybe they should be spending $2 million thinking about where those jobs are going to be when the coal plants start shutting down. We’re just lighting money on fire for what purpose?”
Legislative Priorities with HEAL Utah’s Lexi Tuddenham and Dr. Brian Moench of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.
HEAL Utah Bill Tracker, newsletter, action alerts and more
HEAL Utah Community Lobbying Training, every Tuesday and Thursday, 9:30a-12:30p, during the Legislative Session
Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment newsletter
Before embarking on projects like an auto mall, Gonzalez said, cities should answer: Would auto malls stay afloat in the next decades? How much parking would it require in the future? Is there enough room for green spaces in the city? And is this kind of development the best for the community?
“We want to know when dust is coming in, where it’s hitting communities, how to install monitors in the best places,” said Alex Veilleux, a policy associate with HEAL Utah.
HEAL plans to lobby lawmakers to do a comprehensive study of dust pollution, including sources beyond the lake. And it’s a concept that might receive support — Cox has requested $160,000 to study the lakebed dust issue.
