I was encouraged to read recently about a proposed bill that would allow air pollution to be listed as a factor in a person’s death. But then I remembered that such legislation almost never passes the Utah Legislature. Instead, our Republican legislators prioritize bills that:
• Tie the hands of public health officials during the worst pandemic in a century.
• Promote more water use by building dams and pipelines even as Utah suffers from extreme drought and the Great Salt Lake is in danger of drying up completely.
• Promote continued reliance on coal even as our forests and ski industry are threatened by climate change.
• Create an inland port that will generate tons of pollution even as Utah already suffers from some of the most polluted air in the world.
• (Re-)gerrymander legislative and congressional districts, ignoring a voter-approved referendum to end that abusive practice.
The list goes on and on. Utahns ought to be asking ourselves whether we’d be better off with no Legislature at all. I suspect the answer may be “yes.”
Blair Bateman, Provo