From: Stephen Shuput
To: Rep. McKell, M.,
Subject: Please pass legislation for cleaner air!
Date: 2014-02-13T21:51:16Z
Body:
Dear Legislators,
The air in the Wasatch is unfit to breath. I have a child with asthma and he has trouble breathing when pollution is bad. But polluted air cause so much more harm than that. Toxic metals and chemicals will cause a certain number of cancers, heart attacks, strokes  and fertility problems. Do you want to look back and know that you could have prevented these and didn't?  I hear a lot of excuses like, "It was worse in 1974," or " there are more bad air days in California than Utah," or "We have to balance these risks against the risk of harming business and job growth." To these arguments I reply: This is not 1974, we have better technology now and should use it, both to generate clean power and to reduce  emissions from all polluters. We should compare our air to state with  the cleanest air, not the worst. As for unfairly burdening industry, let's look at it realistically. The cost of polluting should be borne by the industry causing it, but that is not the case. A lot of Utahns are against anyone getting a free ride. We are a proud state where everyone carries their own weight. Except for industry. They do get a free ride when it comes to polluting. Paying the cost of preventing pollution should have always been a cost of doing business. Forcing them to start paying that cost is not unfairly hurting them, it is finally stopping them from unfairly forcing that cost on to the citizens of Utah in the form of worse health. This is no different than banning smoking in public buildings and restaurants.
Please aggressively pass all legislation to acieve cleaner air and a better future for all in Utah.
 
Sincerely, Stephen R Shuput MD