President Donald Trump’s EPA has set its sights on Utah, suggesting they will consider weakening our air quality standards. For me — and thousands of others — that could be deadly, and it could force us to leave the state and community we love.
I was born and raised in Rochester, New York, a city with some of the highest asthma rates in the country. I didn’t have asthma when I lived there, though. About a year and a half after moving to Salt Lake City, I rushed myself to urgent care. I had my head out of the window because I was afraid of what might happen if I waited for my windshield to defrost. I was short of breath and terrified.
“Do you have asthma?” they asked, as I rushed in gasping for air.
“No.”
Four urgent care visits and countless inhalers later, it turns out I do. Winter inversions, dusty or smoky summer days leave no doubt: I definitely have asthma now.
When I first came to Utah, I lived in Cedar City, then Loa and then I spent time working in Escalante. By the time I was ready to settle down, I had fallen in love with Utah — and Salt Lake City seemed like the perfect place for me. It had city amenities and mountains right in the backyard.
Four years later, I can hardly utilize those mountains because of the severity of my recently developed asthma.
I love walking my dog along the Bonneville Shoreline when I can, a reminder of why I’m here on one side, but on the other there are views of a sprawling warehouse district, smoke from refineries, dust kicking up from rock quarries and the remains of a lake that’s still called Great.
Despite the pollution sources that surround us, this is a beautiful area with good and — for the most part — healthy people. But it absolutely blows my mind when I hear our own legislators advocating for reducing pollution controls, like Sen. John Curtis did with his Resolution 31. Sen. Curtis said that these industries are facing barriers to reducing pollution and he is removing those barriers.
These industries know about the health consequences, and they have fought regulations and restrictions aimed at minimizing them.
I might expect that from federal officials with no connection to Utah, who live in areas shielded from pollution or in states in compliance with air quality standards — but from Utahns? When our state leaders set that tone, it’s no surprise the Trump administration follows suit.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said, “Americans should not be harmed by other countries that do not have the same environmental standards we have in the United States.”
I agree. What I think is even more egregious though, is reducing our standards and acting like that will help our residents.
Legislators and industries talk about air pollution regulations as punitive rather than life saving. Who are they protecting by reducing these controls? The fossil fuel and chemical industry can certainly afford the best pollution control technology.
Most Utahns agree that our air pollution should be cleaned up. And the people who should be held most responsible for doing so should be the very ones we elect to protect our health — starting here at home.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s a wage gap creating the disconnect. Maybe asthma isn’t so bad when you have the money to go to a specialist and get all of the medication you need. I’m sure our elected officials, and anyone else advocating for weakened pollution controls can afford that. But for regular people, a trip to the emergency room and the ongoing cost of inhalers aren’t just financial burdens; they’re barriers to breathing — and they turn a manageable condition into a serious health risk.
Since I’ve lived in the valley, I’ve worked for Utah Physicians for a Health Environment, so I’ve probably been a little more attuned to the legislative going ons regarding air quality than the average resident. I’ve yet to see a single member of Utah’s Congressional delegation stand up to protect our health over the profits of industry. I know I’m not alone in being personally and physically impacted by that. If they won’t stand up to the Trump administration for us, there are numerous nonprofits, like the one I’m with, that will fill that void.
I urge you to call your representatives. You likely won’t reach them — but you can leave them a message. Let them know you’re not being represented, but most of all that you see what they’re doing. You see exactly who they are standing up for and what they care about. Utah’s motto might be industry, but its power is people.
(Brandi O’Brien) Brandi O’Brien has worked for Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment for three years.
Brandi O’Brien has worked for Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment for three years as a Manager of Programs and Campaigns.
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