News – Utah Physicians for Healthy Environment

Ozone Exposure Linked to Cognitive Decline in Older Adults, YSPH Study Finds

January 20th, 2022

A new study by scientists at the Yale School of Public Health has found a connection between long term o-zone exposure, and increased risk of cognitive health issues in adults.
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UPHE at Utah 30×30 press conference

January 18th, 2022

UPHE is part of a coalition putting together a Utah 30×30 proposal; the goal of which is to protect 30% of land and water in Utah by the year 2030.
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Utah’s poor air quality shortens life expectancy by 2 years. A new bill could show the true cost

January 18th, 2022

Rep. Stephen Handy filed a bill to allow physicians to list air pollution as a cause, or contributing cause of death. He ran this idea by UPHE several months ago
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Bill would offer free fare on any Utah public transit system

January 18th, 2022

Rep. Joel Briscoe has introduced a bill to make mass transit free, in addition to his legislation that made fares free on bad air quality days, like the ones we’ve
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Comments to Utah Department of Environmental Quality on SLCMAD permit

January 13th, 2022

Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE) and other environmental groups have been concerned about the inappropriate use of pesticides by the state’s mosquito abatement districts, Salt Lake City Mosquito
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Local Utahn’s efforts to move away from polluting Big Ag

January 11th, 2022

An excellent article in the SL Tribune follows the story of a Utah alfalfa farm in its effort to move away from the industrial farming model- a model heavily tied
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Studies show health consequences of poor air quality

January 10th, 2022

Several studies published this week on the health consequences of air pollution add to our understanding of the need to improve air quality. Poor air quality and pollution is cited
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A disconnect when it comes to saving the Great Salt Lake

January 10th, 2022

Last week, House Speaker Brad Wilson hosted a summit to talk about the threats facing the Great Salt Lake. The quickly shrinking lake is gaining a lot of attention from
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Pesticide permit should be denied

January 10th, 2022

The Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District (SLCMAD) is seeking to renew a permit from the Utah Division of Water Quality (UDWQ) to spray pesticides in the Northwest Quadrant, due
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Governor Cox’s ‘One Utah’ Plan

January 4th, 2022

Governor Cox recently released a “roadmap” for Utah’s future, “One Utah”, that doubles down on outdated and increasingly obsolete industries, rather than addressing some of the most pressing environmental and
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Dr. Moench’s Op Ed on Biden’s responsibility

January 4th, 2022

UPHE’s founder and board president, Dr. Brian Moench, wrote an excellent op-ed that was featured in the Salt Lake Tribune right before the holidays. He compares President Joe Biden’s current
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Appeals court affirms ‘Diesel Brothers’ engaged in ‘flagrant misconduct’ by removing emission controls

January 4th, 2022

In a significant victory for cleaner air and the rule of law, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld federal Chief Judge Robert Shelby’s 2019 decision that Utah Physicians for
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Diesel Brothers Fail to Overturn Clean Air Act Violations, Cited for “Flagrant Misconduct.”

January 3rd, 2022

Salt Lake City, UT – In a significant victory for cleaner air and the rule of law, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld federal Chief Judge Robert Shelby’s 2019 decision that Utah
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Objection To Ashley National Forest Grant Of Special Use Permit To The Uinta Basin Railway Project

January 3rd, 2022

UPHE is in objection with Ashley National Forest’s grant of a special use permit to allow construction of the Uinta Basin Railway. This decision allows 12 miles of the 88
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Tax increase for pesticide spraying

December 20th, 2021

Last week the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District (SLCMAD) held a board meeting and a vote on a plan to increase property taxes, in order to buy a helicopter
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Uinta Basin oil railway moving in the wrong direction

December 20th, 2021

Last week the Surface Transportation Board made an unfortunate decision to grant approval for the proposed Uinta Basin rail expansion. The plan comes from the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, as
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The Port Authority refuses public comment; We deserve to be heard.

December 16th, 2021

UPHE Board Member, E. Thomas Nelson M.D., wrote the below letter after sitting in on a Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) board meeting that did not display the transparency and
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Letter of opposition to proposed Parley’s Canyon mine to Government Officials

December 16th, 2021

UPHE acted quickly to oppose a large proposed mining operation in Parley’s Canyon. We site numerous concerns regarding effects to air quality, human health, quality of life, and environmental degradation
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12 Reasons to Give to UPHE

December 15th, 2021

For the past 14 years, UPHE has led the charge to clean up Utah’s air pollution. We have grown from eight physicians in 2007 to 450 today, with another 4,000
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Ongoing lawsuit to defend Regional Haze Rule

December 14th, 2021

UPHE along with our partners sued the EPA at the end of the Trump administration, and now intend to continue that lawsuit against the Biden administration to ensure enforcement of
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Utah business fined $2 million after dumping chemicals into storm drain for years

December 14th, 2021

A livestock and agricultural fertilizer company, Cytozyme Laboratories, was fined $2 million for dumping toxic waste into Salt Lake City’s sewer system. KUTV2 News asked UPHE to weigh in. We
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Salt Lake County takes actions to block proposed Parley’s Canyon mine

December 14th, 2021

On December 10th, the Salt Lake County Council voted unanimously to begin the process of changing a county ordinance, which would block any attempt to dig new mines in the
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Biden’s EPA Backs Trump Rule to Let Utah’s Coal Plants Pollute National Parks

December 8th, 2021

Conservation Groups Pursue Lawsuit to Defend Clean Air Act’s Regional Haze Program SALT LAKE CITY, UT — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has notified HEAL Utah, National Parks Conservation Association
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Limestone Mine’s damage in Parley’s Canyon would be irreversible

December 6th, 2021

The Salt Lake Tribune’s editorial board weighed in on the new mine proposal in Parley’s Canyon this week. As soon as we heard about it, UPHE immediately jumped into the
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Utah Inland Port Authority reaches new low: votes on increased expenditures without public comment, shows propaganda video instead

December 6th, 2021

Salt Lake City – Yesterday the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) took action to increase its expenditures in Fiscal Year 2022 by $829,000 with little public explanation, and for the first
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Utah governor should admit the Uinta Basin Railway’s grave risks

November 29th, 2021

Deeda Seed, one of our partners in the Utah Clean Infrastructure Coalition (UCIC), wrote an excellent Op Ed for the Salt Lake Tribune, expressing concerns and addressing misnomers about the
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No more mines in Parley’s Canyon

November 29th, 2021

UPHE is opposed to a proposal for a new limestone mine in Parley’s Canyon. This is a significant extraction proposal that is sure to bring about more dust pollution, more
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Salt Lake City Needs a Natural Makeover

November 23rd, 2021

Destruction of natural landscapes will only encourage the growth of mosquito and tick populations. UPHE President, Dr. Brian Moench and President of Great Salt Lake Audubon, Heather Dove, wrote an
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The Great Salt Lake will Die Unless we Act Soon

November 15th, 2021

A recent op ed by Lynn de Freitas says we need to realize that our water credit line is overdrawn, and the lake is calling the loan due. “The lake
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Poison in the Air

November 15th, 2021

A map, released by ProPublica earlier this month, uses thousands of sources of hazardous air pollution to show the spread of cancer causing chemicals. The map demonstrates the risk air
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Utah Inland Port Authority dons a Santa Claus suit

November 15th, 2021

In a recent op ed, Malin Moench, brother of UPHE board President Brian Moench, points out that the Inland port plan is based on a misunderstanding of what’s holding up
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Utah Inland Port Comments to the Environmental Justice Advisory Council

November 15th, 2021

Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, and the 450 physicians and 3,000 members of the lay public within the organization, congratulates the Biden Administration for giving the issue of environmental
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“Don’t Go Extinct!” like the Dinosaurs did

November 8th, 2021

“Don’t go extinct!”, a velociraptor pleades to UN delegates, in this clever UN produced video. The video highlights the imperative need to end subsidizing fossil fuels. The United Nations Development
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Utah’s Oil Railway gets OK from Forest Service

November 8th, 2021

The U.S. Forest Service, an agency of the Dept. of Agriculture (currently run by the Biden Administration,) has a long history of promoting exploitation of our forests rather than preservation.
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New False Narrative from the Port Authority

November 1st, 2021

The Utah Inland Port Authority has a new and false narrative: that the port will actually clean up our air and reduce the supply chain bottleneck at West Coast ports.
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No to the Bear River Development Project

November 1st, 2021

Despite numerous, recent national stories on the rapidly shrinking Great Salt Lake, and all the consequences that it’s already creating, state officials, no doubt pushed by key legislators with their
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Utah 30×30 – Take the Survey

November 1st, 2021

Have you heard about 30×30? It’s a science-based proposal to protect 30% of land and water in the United States by 2030 to help solve the climate crisis and biodiversity
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EPA to Reconsider “Do Nothing” Ozone Rule

November 1st, 2021

Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in a court filing that it will reconsider the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone, also known as smog.
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Diesel Trucks are Causing Environmental Injustice Across US Cities

October 25th, 2021

A new study provides more evidence that projects like the dirty energy inland port concentrate pollution in neighborhoods that are dominated by people of color and economically disadvantaged. This is
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Dr. Moench Talks About the Dangers of Spraying Chemicals to Control Mosquitoes

October 25th, 2021

Don’t miss UPHE on KRCL’s RadioACTive this week, talking about all the reasons why our mosquito abatement district needs to stop spraying pesticides. You can listen to it here. “It
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Smoggier Skies, Lower Scores?

October 15th, 2021

“The robust research that has proven how toxic air pollution is to the brain just became even stronger,” said Dr. Moench. “A new study shows particulate pollution on the day
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Protesting the Inland Port’s 150M Dollar Taxpayer Backed Bond

October 15th, 2021

Thank you to the 50 plus concerned residents that showed up last week to deliver over 2,000 signatures expressing disdain for the latest schemes of the Utah Inland Port Authority
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Quit Ignoring the Public Health and Climate Cost of Pesticides

October 9th, 2021

A recent excellent Op-ed, “California needs to quit ignoring the public health and climate cost of pesticides” outlines all the same things that could be said about Utah. The Op-ed
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Can the Great Salt Lake be Saved?

October 9th, 2021

We’re glad to see that a great deal of attention is now being paid locally and nationally to the disappearance of the Great Salt Lake. There are numerous reasons why
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Here’s Why I Oppose a New Inland Port Trans-loading Facility

October 9th, 2021

There are major legal, regulatory, and geographical obstacles to the commercial success of this project that port officials have yet to address. A “transloading facility” is a freight yard that
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FREE Screening of the New Feature Length Documentary, YOUTH v GOV

October 4th, 2021

In connection with Our Children’s Trust’s upcoming youth-led constitutional climate change lawsuit in Utah, we are excited to invite you to a FREE screening of the new feature length documentary,
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Utah Port Authority Memos Reveal Coal Industry Ties to California Rail Controversy

October 4th, 2021

The Utah Inland Port Authority has avoided the issue of whether the port would be used to export more fossil fuels. Obviously they don’t want to admit that. But make
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Stop Construction of $150 Million Trans-loading Facility Funded by Tax Dollars

October 4th, 2021

The Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) wants you to believe the proposed polluting port is a ‘done deal’ so we’ll stop fighting against this destructive polluting project. It isn’t a
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Inland Port Transloading Facility is a Betrayal of the Public Interest

October 2nd, 2021

Dr. Brian Moench, Press Conference, September 20, 2021 September 20 Press Conference About twelve years ago, shortly after our physicians’ organization had launched our campaign to address air pollution in
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Diesel Death Zones and the Utah Inland Port

September 24th, 2021

Dr. Brian Moench discusses diesel death zones and the Utah Inland Port with KPCW Radio. On This Green Earth with Chris Chermiak, Dr. Brian Moench, founder of Utah Physicians for
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Amid Criticism, Inland Port Delays Wasting $150 Million in Taxpayer Money

September 24th, 2021

Thanks to everyone who came out last week to protest the latest egregious idea by the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA)–issuing a bond that would force the public to subsidize
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Utah Doctors Call for Stricter EPA Standards to Match WHO Guidelines

September 24th, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASESeptember 23, 2021 Contact: Dr. Brian Moench – UPHE Board President 801-243-9089 drmoench@yahoo.comJonny Vasic – UPHE Executive Director jvasic@uphe.org 385-707-3677 World Health Organization announces much stricter air pollution guidelines. SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Physicians
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The Polluting Port Plans to Construct a $256 million Trans-loading Facility Funded by Tax Dollars

September 17th, 2021

The legislature and the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) are working feverishly to smother us with more air pollution and our democracy at the same time. This is their latest
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Office Air Quality may Affect Employees’ Cognition, Productivity

September 17th, 2021

New research shows that indoor air pollution at levels typical for most buildings is having an adverse effect on brain function. The likely contributors are PM2.5, obviously related to outdoor
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‘It could take years’ to Solve Ozone Pollution on the Wasatch Front, State Regulator Says

September 17th, 2021

Director of the Utah Division of Air Quality spoke before lawmakers at a committee hearing Wednesday. Utah, Orem, and Provo rank eighth worst in the country for ozone. Last week,
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Booming Utah’s Weak Link: Surging Air Pollution

September 10th, 2021

A red-hot economy, wildfire smoke from California and the shriveling of the Great Salt Lake are making Utah’s alarming pollution even worse. Utah’s air pollution made the New York Times,
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I believe this smoky air will get worse with the Inland Port

September 9th, 2021

There are four reasons for the trend of bad air along the Wasatch Front. Each will be made worse by the port.Op Ed by Dr. Brian Moench As I write
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Selling Your Health to Utah’s Biggest Industrial Polluters

August 30th, 2021

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
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EPA Bans Pesticide on Food Tied to Harming Children

August 30th, 2021

Recently UPHE sent this letter to the board members of the SLC Mosquito Abatement District. Dear SLCMAD Board members: I hope you are aware that yesterday the EPA announced a
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Donut Economics and Salt Lake City

August 30th, 2021

From Donut Economics: 7 Ways to Think Like a 21st Century Economist by Kate Raworth Cities are the experimental laboratories of economic growth, social justice, and public health. They are where the
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Utah Board Misused Public Money on Fossil Fuel Projects, Failed to Fund Rural Community Needs

August 22nd, 2021

For Immediate Release, August 17, 2021Contact: Deeda Seed, Center for Biological Diversity, (801) 803-9892, dseed@biologicaldiversity.org Report: Utah Board Misused Public Money on Fossil Fuel Projects, Failed to Fund Rural Community Needs
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Sixth Assessment on Climate Change: Scarier than the Last

August 19th, 2021

The United Nations’ IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released their sixth assessment on the climate crisis. No surprise, it is even scarier than all the previous reports. From
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Utah Classrooms Need Air Purifiers to Fight Smoke AND Pandemic–Op-ed

August 19th, 2021

Neurosurgeon and UPHE Board member Dr. John Macfarlane has an Op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune on the importance of air purifiers in school classrooms. Read the Salt Lake Tribune
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Report Exposes Misuse of $109 Million in Public Funds for Fossil Fuel Projects

August 19th, 2021

UPHE is part of the Utah Clean Infrastructure Coalition. The Coalition held a press conference and released a report early last week, showing Utah’s Permanent Community Impact Fund Board has
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Tragic Setback for Public Health

August 16th, 2021

On August 12, the Salt Lake County Council voted 6 to 3, on strict political party lines, to overturn the mask mandate policy announced by the director of the Salt
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Health Consequences of Air Pollution and Wildfire Smoke

August 16th, 2021

KPCW Radio (Park City) asked us about the health consequences of air pollution in general and wildfire smoke in particular. That resulted in this 20-minute interview by Nell Larson and
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An Urgent Necessity: Classroom Air Purifiers for Utah’s School Children

August 12th, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAugust 11, 2021 Contact: Dr. Brian Moench – UPHE Board President 801-243-9089 drmoench@yahoo.comJonny Vasic – UPHE Executive Director jvasic@uphe.org 385-707-3677 Air purifiers can help keep schools open; and students, teachers and school staff
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There may be Health Benefits of Air-purifying Indoor Plants

August 10th, 2021

Indoor plants may take longer to purify the air, but they are still beneficial. Indoor plants may: Reduce irritation to eyes, ears, nose and throat Prevent or ease coughing and congestion
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Should We be Exercising Outdoors When the Air is Bad?

August 10th, 2021

UPHE was asked to weigh in on whether school age children should be participating in outdoor sports and activities with pollution levels this high. There is an easy answer: absolutely
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Toxins in the Atmosphere Threaten Fetal Health on Salt Lake City’s West Side

August 10th, 2021

Every source of pollution and toxic chemical exposure steals a little from our children’s future. There was an excellent Op-ed in the Salt Lake Tribune recently from two of our
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UPHE Weighs in on the Air Pollution from Western Wildfires

August 3rd, 2021

“Why are these air pollution spikes so dangerous?” Dr. Moench told EnviroNews that for some people, just a single exposure to this kind of thick particulate contamination can be devastating.
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The Trifecta of Air Pollution

August 3rd, 2021

UPHE was in the news recently discussing the health consequences of the air pollution “trifecta” that we are currently plagued with: wildfire smoke, high ozone, and dust storms. The answer
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Flood Waters Should be Considered Contaminated Unless Proven Otherwise

August 3rd, 2021

Fox13 asked UPHE to weigh in on the fact that people who jumped in quickly to help others with clean-up of the flooding in Cedar City were starting to get
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Great Salt Lake is Shrinking and That’s Not Good for our Air Quality

July 26th, 2021

Dr. Moench was on NPR this week on the “All Things Considered” segment dealing with the disappearance of the Great Salt Lake and what the health consequences will be from
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Bad Air Continues, an Indoor Air Filter Hack

July 26th, 2021

Another massive heat dome is setting up across much of the continental U.S. during the next few weeks, and “it could be the most expansive in the country so far”
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Pediatricians Urge Utahns to get Their Kids Vaccinated Against COVID-19 Before School Starts

July 19th, 2021

With the resurgence of the COVID pandemic from the delta variant, there are increasing calls for a return to mask mandates. The Surgeon General made that call over the weekend.
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Say NO to Tax Increase for Spraying More Chemical Pesticides

July 19th, 2021

Mosquito Abatement District (SLCMAD) Requests Tax Increase to Spray More Toxic Pesticides As ABC4’s Jason Nguyen reported on July 13, SLCMAD wants to raise residents’ abatement property taxes by 75%.
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Utahns Choke in Smoke from Western States

July 13th, 2021

According to IQAir.com, the PM2.5 concentration in Salt Lake City air is currently four times above the World Health Organization’s exposure recommendation. Thirty-three wildfires in Idaho, California, Oregon and Washington
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Record-shattering Heat Wave in the West Continues

July 13th, 2021

The record-shattering heat wave in the West continues. Salt Lake City broke all-time record temperatures the last two days with 104℉. And there are more signs that we are heading
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We Need Specifics, not Slick Promises, from Inland Port Authority, Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board Writes

July 13th, 2021

Controversial creation of Utah Inland Port Authority has focused attention on promises and perils of the area’s future. Salt Lake Tribune’s Editorial Board recently published an opinion piece in which
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Governor Pleads with Utahns to Get Vaccinated as Cases Surge

July 6th, 2021

We are seeing a tragic surge in hospitalizations and deaths from the more deadly and more transmissible COVID Delta variant, and almost all of it is in people who have
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Climate Disaster Endangers Us All

July 6th, 2021

“The predictions seemed completely outlandish,” said Larry O’Neill, associate professor at Oregon State University and state climatologist. “They were so crazy insane that professional forecasters and people like myself thought
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Wildlife, Air Quality at Risk as Great Salt Lake Nears Low

July 6th, 2021

The climate crisis and bad public policy are joining forces in causing the lake to continue to shrink to its lowest level in modern history. That exposes more dry lake
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Utah’s response to our ozone pollution problem? Blame China

June 29th, 2021

“In Salt Lake City, the ozone problem is so persistent, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is about to reclassify the city’s non-attainment status to the federal ozone standard from
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Your 4th of July celebrations are likely polluting local air and water

June 29th, 2021

UPHE is dedicated to protecting the health and well-being of Utah residents by promoting health education and interventions that result in measurable improvements to the environment. Even though fireworks displays
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Utah does the dirty work for industrial polluters

June 29th, 2021

UPHE Board President Dr. Brian Moench has an Op Ed in the Salt Lake Tribune (see full editorial below), calling out the state for hijacking the Division of Air Quality
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FOREST FIRE SMOKE DRIVING INCREASED HEALTH RISKS FROM AIR POLLUTION WORLDWIDE

June 21st, 2021

A substantial body of research correlates increased rates of multiple types of cancer–breast, lung, prostate, cervical, brain, and stomach cancer, and childhood leukemia, with air pollution exposure, even at very
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Inland Port Board Approves $40 Million Budget With Taxpayer Money

June 21st, 2021

In opposing the dirty energy inland port since the beginning, UPHE was not gifted with extraordinary vision. Instead, we simply looked at the evidence and applied common sense. That evidence
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UPHE and STPP ADVOCATES SPEAK OUT AT PRESS CONFERENCE

June 15th, 2021

UPHE and Stop the Polluting Port Coalition (STPP) held a press conference on June 10 to demand that the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) NOT waste taxpayer dollars for construction
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JOIN US WEDNESDAY FOR A PUBLIC HEARING. WE DON’T WANT TAX DOLLARS TO SUBSIDIZE THE POLLUTING PORT AND PROFITS FOR DEVELOPERS AND GIANT CORPORATIONS

June 15th, 2021

Today, Wednesday (June 16) at 4 pm, the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) will hold a public hearing on its proposed $40,252,574 budget for the coming year. This is our
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Press Conference: STPP Coalition Demands Port Authority NOT Waste Taxpayer Dollars For Construction Of A New Transloading Facility

June 14th, 2021

Who/What: Members of the Stop the Polluting Port Coalition (STPP) will be holding a news conference calling on the Utah Inland Port Authority NOT to waste millions in taxpayer dollars to fund
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Stop the Polluting Port Coalition (STPP) Demands Port Authority NOT Use Taxpayer Dollars For Construction Of A New Transloading Facility

June 8th, 2021

For immediate release: May 26, 2021For information: Deeda Seed, 801-803-9892 Utah Inland Port Authority Planning To Spend Taxpayers’ Millions to Supercharge Dirty Port The Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) recently
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