Hello clean-air-and-climate friends: Please join us on zoom (link available via email) from 7-7:40pm MT every other Wednesday night: W Feb 8, W Feb 22, etc. All are welcome! We’ll talk about the Four P’s—Policy, Plan, Purchasing Power, and People—as we prepare to qualify for the Nov 2024 ballot by collecting signatures from F Feb 17 to W Nov 22, 2023.

Policy: We got the Fiscal Note for our policy, and it looks good! Here are the gory details, and as always you can read all about the policy—everything from a one-sentence summary to the full legal language—on our website.

Plan: We have one last hoop to jump through—public hearings scheduled for F Feb 10 in Logan, Provo, Duchesne, Price, and Nephi; for Sat Feb 11 in SLC; and for Sun Feb 12 in St George—and then we can begin gathering signatures! Everyone is welcome at the public hearings, but keep your eyes on the ball, which is gathering the signatures we need to make the ballot. The Guide to Gathering Signatures on our website has links to the monthly roadmap, event calendars around the state, and a 2-pager with instructions for signature gatherers. Feedback and questions are welcome.

Purchasing power: We need to meet a (fairly modest) $5k budget to start signature-gathering, and we’re getting there. Please donate if you can!

People: We need you to join us for signature-gathering at NBA All-Star Weekend in SLC (Feb 17-19) or on college campuses (especially USU and UVU, where we can gather inside!) or at Utah Tech in St George (symphonies Feb 25 and 28 and Mar 3, and 4; basketball games Feb 28 and Mar 3) or in Cedar City (concert March 1) or at other events around the state! No experience necessary, please email dave@DarnAir.org (or just hit Reply) and we will get you in the loop!

Presentations: Here’s a Google Slides draft outlining our policy. Feedback is warmly welcome, and thanks to London and JJ for contributing to this… and to the St George AAUW for good feedback!

In the news: Banner headline in the Jan 25 Tribune: “Utah poised to commit $2m to fight EPA over coal-fired power”. And another front-page story in the Jan 28 Tribune reports that “10 to 25% of the PM 2.5 choking Salt Lake City’s air during winter inversions” come from one facility: the US Magnesium refinery on the southwest side of the Great Salt Lake. Also in the Tribune: a great LTE from Rusty Carroll of Taylorsville (“How about the real issues?”) suggests that the legislature focus on issues like “sales tax on food” and “addressing climate change”. And Patty suggests a re-read of an Oct 2022 Deseret News op-ed (“Air pollution on the brain—what you need to know about your child’s exposure”) by Brian Moench of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment.