The voice of medical science is badly needed in the fight to preserve a livable future for all Utahns

Dear fellow physicians,

In 2007, UPHE began leading the fight for a healthy environment in Utah because we knew the voice of medical science was badly needed to preserve a livable future for us all. 

We don’t just speak truth to power. We try to give real power to scientific truth.  We work to educate, advocate, and when necessary, litigate to protect your health and our future.

Everything essential to human life–our air, water, and food–require a friendly climate and healthy environment, and continuing business as usual is putting it all at risk.  What we have all experienced over the last few years–oppressive heat, wildfire smoke, blowing dust, high ozone, and megadroughts–will continue to worsen unless we immediately adopt a plan for clean energy, wholesale phaseout of fossil fuels, and prioritize a sustainable future. Of course, it’s a global problem, but often our politicians are intent on Utah contributing even more to the problem instead of being a partner in the solution. 

The COVID pandemic has made it an incredibly tough two years, with so much loss, grief, and economic pain. Nonetheless, the last few years have been UPHE’s most successful yet. Through it all, from defending the need for vaccinations to exposing the dirty energy inland port, we have always brought strict medical science and facts to the public, the media, and our politicians. We continued to pressure bad actors that break environmental laws through litigation. We sued the Diesel Brothers and won; and now we are going after 4 Wheel Parts, a national company selling modified exhaust systems and turners that illegally pollute our air. 

We stopped the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District from using Air Force planes to spray toxic chemical pesticides on the Northwest quadrant of SLC, but that battle’s not over.

We fought to keep the Trump EPA accountable over weakened standards for the Hunter and Huntington coal-fired power plants in Southern Utah. We meet with the Biden EPA regularly in the fight against the inland port. We have been part of litigation over regional haze affecting our Mighty Five National Parks, and joined a national effort to protect fence-line communities bordering chemical and petroleum plants and so much more. 

Together we can do more to bring the community’s voice to critical discussions on air quality and other environmental health issues.

 As a medical professional please consider becoming a member of UPHE today, we need your voice in the conversation.  (over) 

We accomplished so much this past year, but we have even more to do.

  • We will continue to lead the opposition against the polluting Utah Inland Port.
  • Work with local communities and do everything we can to ensure the gravel pits stop polluting our local airsheds.
  • We will fight to protect Utah Lake from greedy developers.
  • Keep fighting to stop public subsidies for the oil and gas industry.
  • When necessary we will continue to litigate against companies who are breaking the law and polluting our environment by tampering with emission controls on diesel trucks.
  • And we will continue to help families remove lead from their homes with our partnership with Salt Lake County’s Lead Safe Housing Program which has renovated over 200 homes to make them lead safe and our combined efforts have tripled the clinical blood lead testing from 2016 levels. Together this will keep hundreds of children from getting lead poisoning. 

Please consider donating today to help ensure we have the resources we need to continue to work hard. We strive to serve as a voice for the medical community on air quality and environmental health issues, and currently have over 4000 members and supporters with over 450 medical professionals helping support our work. 

Air pollution, toxic exposures, industrial emissions and the climate crisis 

have not paused in the face of this virus, and neither has UPHE.

Please donate today on our website at uphe.org, send a check to us in the enclosed self-addressed envelope, or call us at 385-707-3677.  We need your support now more than ever.

I hope you will take this opportunity to contribute whatever you can to help keep UPHE strong. We work hard every day to be worthy of your trust and support, and to help protect your family’s health and future. 

Sincerely,

Dr. Brian Moench
President and Founder