All Hands On Deck

Thank you to everyone who was able to come to the hearing at the Capitol on such short notice. The vote was close, but Senate Bill 70 passed out of the committee by a vote of 3-2 and will now move on to the Senate for a full vote.

As you know, SB 70 rewrites state law to make it easier for nuclear and hazardous waste dumps to expand or develop in Utah by taking away the need for gubernatorial approval. The bill effectively removes power from the Governor and gives it to Envirocare.

In an effort to remove the public from the process, this bill has been on a fast-track and will most likely be voted on THIS WEEK. We need a lot of help to defeat this legislation in the Senate. If you have any time at all this week, your involvement could stop an effort to make it easier for nuclear and toxic waste to be dumped in Utah. This is truly urgent. Can you help with any of the following?

1) Hand out flyers in legislative districts (2 hour commitment)

2) Write a letter to the editor (15-30 min.)

3) Call, write, or email key legislators (15-30 min.)

4) Help call our volunteers and members to ask them to contact their legislators (1-2 hours)

5) Join us at the Capitol to talk to legislators directly (1 hr)

Please let me know if you can help with any of the above. You can join volunteers going out to flyer Tuesday afternoon and Thursday evening, and we’d also like to fill in the rest of the week.

Here is a list of legislative leadership we need help contacting. You can reach all of them by calling the senate at 538-1035. You can also call them directly on their home numbers (call after 6:00pm and no later than 9:00pm). You can find a sample email and a link to more talking points at the bottom of this email.

1) Senate President John Valentine, jvalentine@utahsenate.org

2) Senate Majority Leader Peter Knudson, (435) 723-2035, pknudson@utahsenate.org

3) Senate Majority Whip Dan Eastman, (801) 295-5133, deastman@utahsenate.org

4) Senate Assistant Majority Whip Bev Evans, (435) 454-3719, bevevans@ubtanet.com

Thank you to everyone who has already contacted a legislator. Please continue to contact the above legislators this week. They need to hear from you.

We’re always thankfully amazed by the time people take out of their lives to get involved. That’s how the three of us can accomplish what we do. If there was ever a time when we needed your help, it’s now. So please, take the time this week to get involved and make sure our government is accountable to the people it represents, not the bottom-line of one company. Thank you,

-John, Jason, and Vanessa

HEAL Utah

68 S Main St, Suite 400
SLC, UT 84101
(801) 355-5055

Here’s a sample email you can copy and send. For a full list of talking points, visit http://www.healutah.org/what/envirocare/takeAction.html.

Dear Sen. _____,

I strongly urge you to oppose Senate Bill 70. This bill would make it easier for nuclear and hazardous waste dumps to expand or operate in Utah and rewrites a law specifically put in place to protect our health and environment. By taking away the need for the Governor to approve the expansion or development of nuclear waste sites, this bill takes power away from the one person in the state who represents all Utahns. This law benefits Envirocare and makes it easier for more nuclear and toxic waste to be dumped in our state. If Envirocare says they’re not asking for this bill, and the public is clearly against it, the legislature should vote against it as well. We live with the dangers of nuclear waste for generations. Please vote down SB 70 and protect the interests of the public, not the bottom-line of one company. Sincerely,

-Your name and contact info