36 days down, 9 more to go!
Welcome to the final nine days of this year’s legislative session! If you’re like us, you probably feel like you’ve been on a rollercoaster of emotions in the past 36 days. Some days felt like highs with positive steps towards passing good policy, while others felt like steep lows when harmful policies prevailed.
While this legislative rollercoaster is almost ending, we need your help now more than ever. Our last chance to push environmental policy past the finish line is quickly approaching, and we need you to take action.
Here is a breakdown of what you can expect during the rest of this week.
PUBLIC COMMENT
In the upcoming days, you will have opportunities to give public comments in person or from the comfort of your home. Providing public comments is a meaningful action you can participate in, as it’s an opportunity for you to speak in front of a body of lawmakers that may include individuals who represent you.
How to give public comments?
First, to provide public comment in person, identify the legislation you’d like to voice your support/opposition to, then find out what committee it will be assigned to, and finally, show up in person with your comment and wait until your bill is being heard.
You can find all this information by visiting le.utah.gov, clicking on the bill you are interested in, and then going to the bills tabs.
To provide a comment virtually, follow the same steps but sign up for public comment on the committee page’s webpage.
Opportunities to give public comment this week
❌House Bill 301, a bill that would create a new tax on most electric vehicle charging stations in Utah, will be heard in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee. We encourage you to express your concerns and ask lawmakers to vote NO or to amend the bill language to protect Utah EV owners. You can learn more about this bill and build off of a draft email here.
❌Senate Bill 107, a bill that would divert $20 million in severance tax revenue to cover road reconstruction through Gate Canyon, will be heard during the House Revenue and Taxation Committee. We encourage you to provide public comment to OPPOSE this legislation.
FILL OUT AN ACTION ALERT
If providing a public comment is out of your comfort zone, or you can’t make it to the specific times that our legislators meet, we encourage you to fill out one of our quick and easy action alerts! These alerts have all the necessary info you need and a draft message to kickstart your email. We highly recommend personalizing the message and expanding beyond the provided draft to ensure your lawmakers get your perspective.
Where can you find action alerts?
Visit healutah.org/actionalert for our most recent call to action. Visit other nonprofits, coalitions, or organizations that work on issues you care about to see if they have any ready alerts on their websites.
This week's action alerts.
✅Zero-Fares for Clean Air —lawmakers have not added a year-long zero-fare pilot program to their priority funding list. Fill out this action alert before Friday to encourage lawmakers to invest in public transportation.
❌$2 Million towards fighting the EPA—lawmakers have pledged to hand out 2 Million taxpayer dollars to Rocky Mountain Power’s fight against the EPA’s ruling to reduce emissions. Fill out this action alert before Friday to voice your opposition.
CONTACT YOUR LAWMAKERS
As we get closer to the last day of the legislative session (March 3), you will have fewer opportunities to provide public comment and fill out an action alert as things move quickly. A final attempt you can take to stop bad policy or advance good policy is to reach out directly to your lawmaker and ask them to vote a certain way. You can do this by emailing or pulling out your lawmaker during floor time in person.
What to say?
Ask your lawmakers their position on a bill and whether you can count on them to vote a certain way. Learn more by visiting our TAKE ACTION DURING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION blog post.
New Bills
This year we have seen legislation introduced to reduce air pollution from vehicles, buildings, industry, and natural sources like the Great Salt Lake.
✅Senate Bill 249 is a bill that would create a new tax credit for commercial entities to install energy storage systems in the state.
✅House Bill 532 is a bill that would adopt portions of energy efficiency and sustainability building code updates through the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC)
✅House Bill 514 is a bill that would create a tax on carbon dioxide emissions
Join us for our last two community lobbying days.
- Tuesday, Feb 28: Southern Utah Day on the Hill 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM. RSVP
- Thursday, Feb 2: Last Community Lobbying Training: 9:30 AM -12:30 PM. RSVP
Meisei Gonzalez
Communications Director for the Healthy Environment Alliance of Utah (HEAL Utah)