Utah Moms for Clean Air

Sunday at the Salt Lake City Library, Dr. Brian Moench, of Utah Physicians for a Health Environment, spoke on “Utah’s Air Pollution: Should You Give Up and Move Out of State?” The answer for some might be yes, but most of us see enough hope ahead that we will stay here and make the difficult changes necessary to clean up the air.

What can be done, in addition to ordinary Utahns acknowledging the problem and changing our lifestyles? Dr. Moench say we

need to “change our political leaders” by letting them know what a high priority it is to deal with air pollution.

“That’s the most important part of this whole picture,” he said, adding the issue cuts across political and economic boundaries.

We need to be informed about what the Utah politicians are doing about air pollution.

Two months ago, a legislative committee panned a task force recommendation for raising an additional $3 million a year to step up air monitoring. And, in the 2007 Legislature, lawmakers kept spending on environmental programs flat while infusing most other state programs with some of the $1.6 billion budget surplus.

Governor Jon Huntsman Jr, on the other hand, has made clean air one of his top three priorities.

In an interesting counter to the false dichotomy set up by some Utah business people between caring for our air and keeping our economy healthy, Dr. Moench pointed out that pollution-related health care costs are a drain on Utah’s economy. He said, air pollution causes about 2,000 premature deaths per year in Utah. This number does not, of course, include those whose respiratory and cardiopulmonary problems are caused or worsened by air pollution but who don’t lose their lives. Clean Air that we can all breathe in common is clearly best for Utah’s economy.

• Read the whole story: “Utah’s air: Expert says breathing pollution is like smoking five cigarettes a day,” Judy Fahys, December 10, 2007.

Cherise Udell, President of Utah Moms for Clean Air, and Dr. Brian Moench, President of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, recently wrote a letter to the Editor of the Ely News in eastern Nevada about proposed Nevada coal plants.

The Ely News published this letter last week. Look for the title, “Utah has concerns.”

Utah has concerns

To the Editor:

As clean air advocacy groups for Utah citizens, the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment and the Utah Moms for Clean Air would like to respond to the editorial that appeared in this paper on Sept. 21 in support of the proposed Nevada coal plants.

Acknowledgement of the down side to these plants was limited to, “We don’t believe the plants will foul the air in Steptoe Valley . Nor do we believe Great Basin National Park or Utah have anything to fear from the two plants. And nor do we believe Reid’s proposal will do anything to cut overall carbon dioxide emissions.”

Decisions regarding building more coal plants should be based on science and facts and not just “beliefs.” We offer some science and facts that should be considered before Ely residents endorse these coal power projects.

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In September, Dr. Brian Moench of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment proposed the following resolutions to the Utah Medical Association House of Delegates. The resolutions on Clean Air and Mercury Exposure were adopted by the House. It’s great to see this public support for clean air resulting from the hard work of our clean air ally, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.

Resolution # 2 - Clean Air

RESOLVED, That UMA publicly support Governor Huntsman’s initiatives to improve Utah’s air quality by moving to a renewable energy portfolio within the state; and be it further

RESOLVED, That UMA work to have the Utah Division of Air Quality adopt the stricter standards advocated by the CASAC to protect the health and well being of the citizens of Utah; and be it further

RESOLVED, That UMA support clean air by publicly announcing UMA support for clean air initiatives, and at least yearly, publicly support strict monitoring and enforcement of Utah State air quality standards and emphasize the health impacts of particulate, and ozone, air pollution.

ADOPTED

Resolution # 3 - Mercury Exposure

RESOLVED, That UMA urge Governor Huntsman, and the Utah State Legislature, to support the development of renewable energy sources within the State of Utah; and be it further

RESOLVED, That UMA contact the elected state and federal officials from the State of Utah and ask them to oppose the development of coal powered generating plants that would directly contribute to mercury contamination in the State of Utah; and be it further

RESOLVED, That UMA request the Utah Department of Environmental Quality to study mercury levels in maternal and fetal blood to determine the extent of human environmental mercury contamination and study the potential health effects of this contamination on the children of Utah; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the UMA House of Delegates reaffirm support for the September 2005, Resolution 2 - Mercury Exposure (A-05).

ADOPTED

One Salt Lake Tribune reader is“Disgusted with Fireworks,” and preliminary data is in.

Preliminary data show one Ogden neighborhood’s fireworks pumped so much smoke and heavy metals in the air Wednesday night, levels reached nearly 25 times the health standard for the fine-particle pollution called PM2.5 between 10 and 11 p.m.

These spikes may be “high enough to cause violations of the federal health standards” as they have in years past. Dr. Brian Moench of the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment called the spikes “acutely deadly.”

“This is a kind of celebration in defiance of public health,” he said, adding that high pollution “ought to be factored into how these events are handled.”

As more Utahns realize the danger of Utah’s polluted air, perhaps more will, as the writer to the Tribune Public Forum wrote, “get some guts and put an end to this antiquated form of mindless entertainment.”

• Jeff Baird, “Disgusted with Fireworks,” Public Forum Letters, July 5, 2007.
• Judy Fahys, “Fireworks create a pollution infusion: Air-quality levels hit the danger zone after July Fourth festivities,” July 6, 2007.

Dear Moms–and all Utahns–For Clean Air,

We had an incredible first month! Utah Moms for Clean Air hosted its inaugural meeting on May 2, and the response has been amazing. Hundreds of Utahns have told us they want to take action to clean up the air along the Wasatch Front. The media has covered us extensively, including a Salt Lake Tribune editorial specifically endorsing our mission, an op-ed piece by founder Cherise Udell, and other news articles, editorials, and letters mentioning our work in the Tribune, Deseret News, and on the evening news and radio.

Moms have attended hearings before the Air Quality Board, the Utah Transit Authority, the Wasatch Front Regional Transportation Committee, and a community meeting on coal power in West Bountiful. We have submitted letters to those and other state and federal officials. Collectively we are spreading the word that clean air is a necessity and a right for the citizens of Utah, and we have proved that we can influence public policy.

For instance, we joined a “no new coal” campaign led by Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment, and on May 18 the citizens of Wasco County, Oregon rejected the purchase of electricity from a coal-fired power plant proposed to be built in Delta, Utah. As another example, Governor Jon Huntsman has reportedly made clean air a top priority. We have heard through the grapevine that he is crediting the work of citizens’ groups including Utah Moms for Clean Air and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.

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The Ogden Standard Examiner today published a story about children with asthma in Woods Cross and North Salt Lake. With 16.2% of children under 17 suffering from asthma, the Utah Department of Health finds in these cities the highest rates in Utah, according to the 2003-2006 data released yesterday.

• Read the whole story: “Drowning in Air,” Loretta Park
• Check the northern Utah map for asthma rates by city.

On May 2, 2007, the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment made a presentation to the Utah Air Quality Board. You can view this presentation online at Utah’s Division of Air Quality.

• Power Point presentation on Utah Air Quality.

This Thursday, May 24 at 3:00pm the Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) will be discussing (and without public input most likely voting to approve) their 30-year transportation/air quality plan. Utah Moms for Clean Air has an important role to play to support public transportation and our concern for increasing vehicular traffic along the Wasatch Front. Babies are not only welcomed, but encouraged to come as they really seem to drive the message home about Utah Moms for Clean Air, our seriousness and intentions.

The meeting will be at the WFRC office at the International Center (the next exits west after the airport) Their address is 295 N Jimmy Doolittle Rd, SLC.

In a nutshell, the meeting/hearing is about the future (30 year) blueprint for transportation initiatives in the Wasatch front. (more…)