Standing up for science
March 12th, 2025
UPHE’s president and co-founder, Dr. Brian Moench, went on KRCL’s RadioACTIVE to talk about recent legislative and policy moves both in Utah, nationwide, and internationally. Dr. Moench is on around…
International air quality data will be hidden by the U.S.
March 11th, 2025
The U.S. government has announced it will stop sharing air quality data from its embassies and consulates worldwide due to funding cuts, a move that has alarmed scientists and environmental…
The problem with the “Authorities” the legislature likes to create
March 11th, 2025
Photo courtesy of E P Kosmicki. UPHE member Malin Moench is a retired legal analyst who has decades of experience in econometric modeling work. He’s written a handful of wonderful…
How Utah’s new bill changes the Inland Port
March 11th, 2025
The Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) is set to reapprove 11 inland port project areas—spanning 76,138 acres across 13 counties. The reapproval seems an attempt to skirt the consequences for…
Trump Administration EPA moves could dismantle safeguards against chemical disasters
March 11th, 2025
Earthjustice recently issued a press release on the EPA’s move to weaken protections against chemical disasters following pressure from corporate lobbyists. “The primary purpose of the EPA is to protect…
Uinta Basin Railway lawsuit proceeds
March 4th, 2025
Ok Energy Today covered our case to stop the Uinta Basin Railway, which has been taken to the U.S. Supreme Court. “Plans to construct a new oil railroad in the Uinta Basin…
Savage may proceed with rail line for Inland Port project
March 4th, 2025
UPHE, alongside the Erda Community Association and local residents, petitioned the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to reconsider its approval of the Savage Tooele Railroad, an 11-mile rail line connecting the…
Letter: Even a few small actions can make a difference in Utah. Here’s a primer on how to ensure your voice is heard.
March 4th, 2025
We know we’ve asked a lot from you this session—emails, calls, public comments—but there’s a lot on the line. Your voices are being heard, and now is not the time…
Letter To Congress Demanding Action On Firings
March 4th, 2025
UPHE joined nearly 500 organizations in signing a letter going to Congress asking them to take action on the Trump Administration’s mass firing spree. We are deeply concerned about the…
As the Great Salt Lake recedes, industry rises
March 3rd, 2025
UPHE has long fought against the inland port and its rapid industrial expansion, which threatens air quality, public health, and the fragile Great Salt Lake ecosystem. A recent High Country…
UPHE’s legislative concerns & things you can do!
February 27th, 2025
Your Voice is Needed—Tell Lawmakers to Protect Public Health & Transparency!We are facing a critical moment in Utah’s legislative session. Several dangerous bills threaten our right to government transparency, clean…
Utah House passes HB355: Gift to gravel pit operators, threat to public health and quality of life
February 26th, 2025
Groups call on Senate to vote NO Reflecting the magnitude of public concern about gravel pits, according to the DAQ Director Bryce Bird, complaints about gravel pit pollution is the number…
Comments on H.B. 355 to the House Natural Resources Committee
February 17th, 2025
Take Action on H.B. 355 here! Our board president and cofounder, Dr. Brian Moench, spoke on behalf of the 450 physicians who are members of Utah Physicians for a Healthy…
Residents speak out over mining plans for Southern Utah
February 14th, 2025
Fox 13 recently amplified a major concern for a small community in southern Utah—an industrial mining operation that could disrupt their environment and threaten their health. As with many industrial…
$1.3 billion in taxpayer money going to the Utah Inland Port
February 14th, 2025
Thanks to everyone who joined last week’s press conference ahead of a hearing on a bill that would decrease transparency of the Utah Inland Port Authority. You read that right,…
Why plastics and other pollution need to be contained and regulated
February 10th, 2025
We have known for years that numerous plastic products shed microscopic particles and fragments, which end up contaminating our bodies, including our most critical organs, with plastic nanoparticles. These products…
UPHE strives to keep you informed with easy ways to take action. Mining bills to speak out on.
February 10th, 2025
“Granite Construction, a California firm, is eager to strip mine the north slope of Grandeur Peak in lower Parley’s Canyon. The scar would be a mile wide and rise a…
The Inland Port Is Legislating Its Own Power—Again. Speak Out TODAY!
February 10th, 2025
We need your help speaking out against a dangerous bill that favors industry at the expense of public health and the environment. A Senate Committee is hearing the bill Wednesday,…
A gift to mining companies, and you’re paying
February 4th, 2025
Hasn’t the Utah legislature been arguing with the federal government over local control for decades? You wouldn’t know it by a new bill which would strip Utah counties and cities…
TRAX expansion in the works
February 4th, 2025
A sunny spot in the daunting news of the Utah legislative session, is that TRAX is getting a much needed expansion! While TRAX has served as a great way to…
Letter to the Editor: The Utah Legislature is destroying our freedoms and silencing our voices
February 4th, 2025
Photo courtesy of E P Kosmicki. The Salt Lake Tribune published a powerful letter written by Ann Florence. Her letter explains how the Utah Legislature is quietly dismantling the checks…
Air quality monitoring in Utah
January 28th, 2025
UPHE applauds Davis County’s air quality sensor initiative. The program is a proactive step to address air pollution and includes installing 24 air quality sensors throughout the county, with plans…
Some of the healthiest people in the state are feeling impacts of poor air quality
January 28th, 2025
Photo courtesy of E P Kosmicki A recent Salt Lake Tribune article highlights the impact of the state’s poor air quality problem on even some of the healthiest residents –…
Thank you for joining us at the GSL rally
January 28th, 2025
We were overwhelmed by the passionate show of support for the lake at last Saturday’s rally at the Capitol. UPHE had a table at the rally to spread information on…
Environmental groups ask the legislature to pay attention to their own report.
January 23rd, 2025
The DOGM commissioned report ordered by the Legislature shows there is no shortage of aggregate and no urgent need for more gravel pits Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE),…
Utah’s troubled relationship with fossil fuel investors
January 21st, 2025
We urge you NOT to listen to Warren Buffet’s encouragement to “inhale the air, drink the water” near his company, Berkshire Hathaway’s coal-fired power plants. Berkshire Hathaway owns the Hunter…
Fossil fuel subsidies through the Inland Port?
January 21st, 2025
Photo of Cottonwood Campground, a few miles from the mine site by Jeremy T. Dyer, BLM Utah The Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) has once again shown its lack of…
A win for public lands is a win for public health in Utah
January 14th, 2025
Last weekend, UPHE stood alongside passionate advocates at the Public Lands Rally at the Utah State Capitol to champion the protection of public lands. Public lands are vital in the…
The Inland Ports’ true intentions shine through
January 14th, 2025
The Utah Inland Port Authority’s latest moves highlight why this state-run, tax-subsidized project remains a significant threat to Utah’s environment, public health, and taxpayer dollars. A new crude-by-rail terminal near…
Op-ed from Dr. Moench – From infancy to adulthood, air pollution is impacting all of us in Utah
January 14th, 2025
Motivated by yet another study on how air pollution can impact your health before you’re even born, UPHE’s Dr. Brian Moench had an op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune. We…
Opinion piece on Parley’s – Utah doesn’t need to mine more gravel. We need to look to more sustainable alternatives.
January 7th, 2025
Malin Moench, UPHE member and retired legal and economic analyst at a federal level, had another compelling and detailed opinion piece published in the Salt Lake Tribune. “Would-be gravel miners…
▶️ What’s in the Air – with Dr. Brian Moench
January 6th, 2025
Dr. Moench was recently featured on the Green Street podcast. They discuss how the EPA’s standards for measuring pollution hasn’t kept up with modern research about the health hazards of…
New U of U study expands on ozone’s connection to developmental issues in unborn children
January 6th, 2025
A recent University of Utah study expands on the body of knowledge that ozone pollution can impact the development of unborn children. According to the American Lung Association, the urban…
Supreme Court Poised to Gut Bedrock Environmental Law in Oil-Train Case
December 30th, 2024
UPHE is proud to be part of the coalition fighting to stop the Uinta Basin Railway, a proposed oil train project that threatens public health, environmental safety, and climate stability.…
Why UPHE, from Dr. Robert Weir
December 17th, 2024
As a double-boarded Neurologist and Psychiatrist, I have dedicated my life to improving brain health. Our identity as unique individuals is intimately linked to our brain and mind. When exposed…
Industrializing wetlands, press conference and coverage
December 16th, 2024
UPHE cohosted and spoke at a press conference with the Stop the Polluting Port Coalition. The topic – harm of industrializing wetlands. Currently, the Utah Inland Port is the largest…
Supreme Court Hears Arguments Over Utah Oil Train in Case Challenging Scope of Nation’s Landmark Environmental Law
December 10th, 2024
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments today in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, a case challenging the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act, the nation’s landmark environmental…
A common-sense message on the inversion
December 5th, 2024
UPHE Board Member and Emergency Room Physician, Dr. E. Thomas Nelson, relays the following message on the current inversion – We live in a deeply polarizing time. In our tribalist…
Progressive pollution policies save lives AND money
December 3rd, 2024
The Guardian recently reported on a study that showed early deaths from air pollution in the US could be reduced by between 4,000 and 15,000 a year by 2035. In…
Why we appreciate federal oversight on air quality
December 3rd, 2024
Photo courtesy of E P Kosmicki Utah legislatures may be seeking looser air quality regulations under a new administration. Not surprising, but still disappointing. Federal air quality regulations are often…
Environmental, Public Health Groups Outline Utah Oil Train’s Upcoming Supreme Court Case
December 2nd, 2024
Environmental and public health groups opposing a Utah oil train’s efforts to shortcut environmental review will hold a virtual press briefing on Tuesday, Dec. 3, to outline the arguments the…
Costs of not cleaning up the air
November 26th, 2024
As Utah eyes hosting the 2034 Winter Olympics, air pollution could jeopardize the event and damage Utah’s reputation as a winter sports destination, Edwin Stafford, a Utah State University professor,…
Great Salt Lake levels are back down
November 26th, 2024
The state has been touting the rise of Great Salt Lake, specifically the 70,000 acre-feet of water dedicated to the lake. While we got a temporary reprieve of extremely low…
Southern Utah construction is resulting in a scary reality for some
November 19th, 2024
As Utah’s climate warms and drought intensifies, development in places like St. George is creating health risks we cannot ignore, a recent article warns. The Mojave Desert, home to unique…
Compensation for radiation victims has been paused long enough
November 19th, 2024
UPHE is proud to be one of many organizations pushing Congress to do right by the government’s victims of nuclear weapons testing. We are urging them to act NOW to…
Op-Ed: We don’t need to sacrifice the Wasatch to meet our need for gravel
November 19th, 2024
Parley’s Canyon photo from County Lemonade on Flickr UPHE member, Malin Moench, has been a strong and thoroughly educated voice of reason in the battle against a proposed mine for…
A chance to get involved with Great Salt Lake management
November 12th, 2024
Appropriate management of Great Salt Lake should be one of the highest priorities for the state, in order to protect our health, livelihoods and quality of life on the Wasatch…
What exactly is at risk from UDOT’s I-15 Expansion
November 12th, 2024
A recent Salt Lake Tribune article broke down some of what is being sacrificed to expand I-15. The Utah Department of Transportation recently finished their final environmental study on their…
Why you should care about protections for U.S. victims of radiation
November 6th, 2024
UPHE has been urgently pushing for Congress to resume compensation for “downwinders.” Downwinders are people, many Utahns included, who were impacted by nuclear testing. The fallout of nuclear testing resulted…
Why Utah should ban PFAS pesticides
October 28th, 2024
UPHE held a press conference earlier this month discussing a new danger – harmful PFAS chemicals being found in pesticides which are widely sprayed, virtually unregulated by the state. Press…
Environmental and Public Health Groups File Brief Opposing Utah Oil Train’s U.S. Supreme Court Appeal
October 28th, 2024
Environmental and public health groups defended the nation’s landmark environmental law in a brief filed today with the U.S. Supreme Court in a case challenging the law’s scope. Utah’s Seven County Infrastructure…
Why the state taking over federal lands could be bad for the climate
October 15th, 2024
In a recent interview with the Salt Lake Tribune, the outgoing BLM Director highlighted the growing emphasis on recreation as the future of public lands management. With 11 million visitors…
State Must Take Action Against “the Greatest Chemical Threat of the 21st Century.”
October 15th, 2024
Utah doctors call on State and Federal Agencies to protect Utahns from PFAS (“forever chemicals”) in Pesticides 🎥 Watch the Press Conference: A few months ago, the CDC made an…
Communities are protesting the threat of mining expansion
October 8th, 2024
While tribal members from the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe protested uranium mining near their White Mesa community, certain Utah lawmakers were cheerleading nuclear energy as a climate solution. While nuclear…
Oil and gas company is being forced to pay for air violations
October 8th, 2024
Because of Utah’s notoriously weak regulations and oversight of large industries, our state has become a dumping ground for corporate pollution, namely from oil, gas and mining companies. Luckily, we…
100 acres under contract in Tooele, on our dime
October 8th, 2024
We’ve been very vocal opponents of the Utah Inland Port Authority’s proposed development for Tooele County. That’s because UIPA is granting significant tax breaks and public funding to industrial developers,…
Op-ed explains financial concerns about the Inland Port
October 1st, 2024
Patricia Becnel, a Weber County resident and one of our friends on the Stop the Polluting Port Coalition, had an excellent op-ed in the Standard Examiner. She unpacks the Inland…
Community protests state authorized sale of tax-exempt junk bonds to fund industrial development in wetlands next to Great Salt Lake
September 25th, 2024
On Tuesday, September 24 at 10 am, the Tooele Valley Public Infrastructure District (TVPID), a Utah special service district created by the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA), held a public…
Utah’s regional haze plan was inadequate
September 24th, 2024
Last week, UPHE participated in a “People’s Filibuster,” hosted by our friends at Sierra Club Utah. Over 6,000 comments opposing Utah’s regional haze plan were read out loud. A powerful…
Lawsuit challenges Utah Inland Port Authority as unconstitutional
September 24th, 2024
UPHE, along with our friends at the Center for Biological Diversity, filed a lawsuit last week aimed at preventing the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) from moving forward with plans…
Lawsuit Challenges Utah Inland Port Authority as Unconstitutional
September 19th, 2024
SALT LAKE CITY— Environmental and public advocacy groups sued Utah Gov. Spencer Cox and state legislative leaders today to challenge the Utah Inland Port Authority as unconstitutional under the state’s principle of…
Utahns ‘Filibuster’ at Capitol, Demand Measurable Emissions Reductions as EPA says State Plan Fails to Deliver
September 19th, 2024
Utah – On Wednesday, September 18, 2024, clean air advocates gathered at the Utah State Capitol, for a powerful “filibuster,” reading aloud from 6,000 public comments submitted to the EPA. The…
Concerns around Utah Inland Port funding explained
September 17th, 2024
The Stop the Polluting Port Coalitions recent press release on funding concerns around the Tooele Inland Ports. A recent KSL article tackles an issue that many people have had difficulty…
We’re asking Utah’s congressional delegation to push action on radiation law
September 17th, 2024
In our latest push for environmental justice, UPHE stands with a coalition of organizations calling for the immediate reauthorization and expansion of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). Up until…
Saving Great Salt Lake means saving ourselves
September 17th, 2024
Dr. Brian Moench had another excellent op-ed on the importance of saving Great Salt Lake. This one was published in the Deseret News. A physician’s first obligation is to “do…
Court Hearing Today: The Future of the Disappearing Great Salt Lake
September 17th, 2024
September 17, 2024 SALT LAKE CITY, UT — Today, conservation and community groups will argue their case in court against the state of Utah for failing to comply with its public trust obligations to ensure that enough…
Recreation at Great Salt Lake – is it safe?
September 11th, 2024
When we talk about losing Great Salt Lake, we’re often talking about the health consequences for residents. What we don’t always talk about, though, is what a detrimental loss it…
Communities Demand Action Against Inland Port Projects
September 10th, 2024
Photo above courtesy of Xiangyao-Axe-Tang. The Stop the Polluting Port coalition, which UPHE is heavily involved in, is urging the State Finance Review Commission to halt the approval of billions…
Expanding I-15 is bad for Utah’s mobility, health and economy
September 10th, 2024
Photo above of Los Angeles traffic. Let’s not turn Utah into the next California. UPHE’s cofounder and president had the following op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune on the Utah…
Comments on Granite Construction’s proposal for a concrete manufacturing facility
September 9th, 2024
UPHE sent the following comments to the Salt Lake City Planning Commission ahead of their September 11, 2024 meeting to hear Granite Constructions permit for a concrete manufacturing. Summary In…
UDOT says expanding I-15 won’t increase pollution, here’s why they’re wrong
September 4th, 2024
The Utah Dept. of Transportation is in it’s final stages of the environmental review on their proposal to expand I-15, and we have some MAJOR concerns. Their study showed that…
Why are Utahns paying for Rocky Mountain Power to stay with coal?
September 4th, 2024
Photo above shows the Castle Gate Power Plant, one of the dirtiest in the country, which closed in 2015 as a result of tighter federal standards. Photo from Flickr We…
Project 2025 looks to resume nuclear testing that had deadly fallout for Utahns
September 4th, 2024
As a clean air and public health advocacy group, hearing of plans to resume nuclear testing, which previously had such devastating consequences for Utahns, is a nightmare come true. The…
PFAS, where they are, what they do and how to protect yourself
September 4th, 2024
PFAS, forever chemicals, teflon. Whatever you call them, two things are true; they are being widely used across the nation, and they have alarming human health consequences. PFAS, a man-made…
It’s more than just dust, and it will impact some more than others
August 27th, 2024
“Everybody studies and the dust keeps coming and we don’t do anything about it,” Terry Marasco, a west-side activist, told the Salt Lake Tribune. A recently published study revealed that…
Dr. Brian Moench – Don’t buy what the port authority is selling
August 21st, 2024
The Standard-Examiner published the following guest opinion piece from UPHE’s Dr. Brian Moench: In the waning hours of the 2018 legislative session, in a move intended to handcuff almost certain…
While we push for radiation victim protections, others want to resume the nuclear testing that did that damage
August 20th, 2024
Photo: Nuclear weapons test in Nevada in 1957. Courtesy of International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons The legislature’s inaction which allowed the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to lapse is…
People are leaving because of pollution
August 13th, 2024
A sad, and excellently written op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune expressing a sentiment that many of us, especially those with health issues, can relate to. The op-ed, written by…
Two places in Utah with worse air than the Salt Lake Valley
August 13th, 2024
For many of us in the Salt Lake Valley, it’s hard to imagine that there’s somewhere else in the state with worse air quality. Last year, eastern Utah’s Uintah and…
The cost of continuing coal power
August 13th, 2024
UPHE member and retired legal and economic analyst for public utility regulators at the federal level, Malin Moench, had an excellent op-ed in the Deseret News. His op-ed highlights the…
Good news on pesticide spraying
August 6th, 2024
UPHE has been sounding the alarm on pesticide spraying for years. These toxic chemicals, aggressively marketed by agrochemical giants, permeate our daily lives, exposing us to a host of serious…
Great Salt Lake is releasing more than dust
August 6th, 2024
A new harm of allowing Great Salt Lake to shrink has come to light, thanks to research from Utah State University. By now, we’ve sounded the alarms about the lakebed…
Weber County meeting on the Inland Port, recap
August 6th, 2024
Photo from Weber County, courtesy of Ken Kraus.
Temporary good news for protecting Parley’s Canyon
July 30th, 2024
UPHE is actively engaged in efforts to squash the development of a massive gravel pit and limestone quarry proposed by Granite Construction in Parley’s Canyon. Recently, the Utah Division of…
Air pollution from warehousing, and what’s coming in Weber County
July 30th, 2024
UPHE has long been outspoken in opposition against the Utah Inland Port’s vision for our beautiful state. Utah faces unique air quality challenges. Our state is prone to winter inversions,…
Brian Moench, M.D – U.S. Supreme Court decisions will hurt Utah and its neighbors
July 30th, 2024
UPHE’s co-founder and board president, Dr. Brian Moench, had the following op-ed published in the Salt Lake Tribune on recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that will impact Utah residents health.…
Reducing single-use plastics & why it matters
July 23rd, 2024
In another significant environmental milestone, the Biden Administration recently unveiled a strategy to eliminate single-use plastics in all federal operations by 2035. The plan also aims to halt federal purchases…
UTA’s New Electric Bus Fleet: A Step Towards Cleaner Air and Environmental Justice
July 23rd, 2024
We are excited to share that the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) has been awarded over $18 million by the Federal Transit Administration to replace old diesel-powered buses with a new…
Keep a smoke-free home these wildfire ridden weeks
July 23rd, 2024
As wildfires continue to sweep across Utah, the air quality has significantly deteriorated, posing serious health risks to residents. One of the most alarming incidents occurred over the weekend, just…
Who will GSL dust impact the most?
July 16th, 2024
A recent study highlighted by The Guardian reveals that toxic dust storms from the drying Great Salt Lake disproportionately affect Utah’s Hispanic and Pacific Islander communities. As the lake continues…
Utah’s summer air, wildfires, and what you can do
July 16th, 2024
As temperatures rise and wildfires burn, Utah’s air quality is taking a severe hit, impacting the health of residents across the state. Hot weather is a major driver of poor…
Tell Utah to protect its residents, so the federal government doesn’t have to
July 16th, 2024
In a recent editorial, The Salt Lake Tribune highlighted the ongoing struggle between Utah’s state officials and the federal government over environmental protection. Despite state officials’ frequent claims that they…
We are proceeding with our Harley Davidson case, minus a few claims
July 9th, 2024
In 2022, in a significant legal move, UPHE took action against four Harley-Davidson dealerships in Utah for violating federal air and noise pollution laws. The suit, filed under the Clean…
A Utah industrial site is a major source of pollution
July 9th, 2024
Recent reports from the Salt Lake Tribune have shed light on the extensive toxic chemical releases from the Bingham Canyon Mine, operated by Kennecott Utah Copper Corporation. This mine, one…
More on the Supreme Court’s recent environmental protection failures
July 9th, 2024
In recent weeks, two significant Supreme Court rulings have shaken the foundations of environmental protection, with major implications for air quality and public health in Utah. The court’s decisions to…
Status of Great Salt Lake – lake levels, industry and governmental negligence
July 2nd, 2024
A recent Salt Lake Tribune article highlighted the current state and challenges of Great Salt Lake, emphasizing that this summer’s conditions are unlikely to be an anomaly. The lake’s southern…
The Supreme Court suspends the ‘Good Neighbor’ EPA air quality rule
July 2nd, 2024
Just prior to the devastating Chevron ruling, the Supreme Court canonized another major environmental/public health setback. It suspended a crucial air quality rule designed to protect states and residents from…
Supreme Court dismantles the historical role of federal agencies
July 2nd, 2024
With multiple radical decisions this year, the current Supreme Court has dismantled the historical role of federal agencies to protect the public from economic and environmental harm wrought by corporations…
Granite Construction shareholders oppose their proposal for Parley’s Canyon
June 25th, 2024
UPHE has been a strong voice of opposition to the proposed limestone quarry in Parleys Canyon since we found out about the proposal. The project poses severe threats to air…
Lawmakers are concerned about farmlands for GSL conservation, but quick to sacrifice them for development
June 25th, 2024
Utah has lost 20% of its farmland over the past six decades, a Salt Lake Tribune article reports. Conservation easements, where farmers are paid to limit certain development rights on…