Selling Your Health to Utah’s Biggest Industrial Polluters

The Salt Lake Tribune recently published a major story on their investigation of the scandal that powerful state lawmakers allowed the Utah Mining Association and Utah Petroleum Association to hijack the Utah Division of Air Quality to help them pursue a strategy to handcuff the state in reducing our ozone pollution.

The polluters were even allowed to ghost-write letters to the EPA signed by former Gov. Gary Herbert, Gov. Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, and House Speaker Brad Wilson, in support of the attempt to have the EPA allow higher levels of ozone in Utah.

“In addition to paying for and promoting their analysis of air quality data, the emails indicate [polluting] industry groups ghost-wrote a letter to the EPA signed by Utah Republicans, including former Gov. Gary Herbert, current Gov. Spencer Cox and top state lawmakers in December.” When they wrote the article, The Tribune asked UPHE to weigh in. “It’s outrageous,” Dr. Moench said, “that a state agency, whose mission is to protect public health, is being hijacked by our biggest industrial polluters to service their agenda.” 

Indeed, our most powerful lawmakers allowed a state agency, funded by Utah taxpayers and whose mandate is to find ways to reduce our air pollution, to be taken over and further the profiteering goals of the UMA and UPA–as if we didn’t have enough air pollution already. They are willing to sell your health to our biggest industrial polluters. 

UPHE in the News:
The Salt Lake Tribune article, August 25, 2021

Here are the phone numbers of these state lawmakers. Please give them all a call and let them know how disgusted you are with their betrayal of the health and well-being of your family, and that you vote!

Gov. Spencer Cox 801-538-1000. https://sf.gov.utah.gov/Contact/s/

House Speaker Brad Wilson 801-538-1029  bradwilson@le.utah.gov

Senate President Stuart Adams 801-593-1776 jsadams@le.utah.gov