John,
Utah represents the best and worst of the environmental debate taking place in the United States right now. On one hand, it is ground zero for public lands assaults--efforts that often spread to the rest of the country--and represents the typical Republican climate denial with major, immediate impacts on our air quality. On the other hand, this means that efforts to check these impulses echo well beyond our borders. That is why the work of local groups, like O2 Utah, matter so much.
I’m writing to ask you to join me in supporting the work of O2 Utah.
O2
Utah has a clear-eyed view of how bad policy happens and is working to counter it at the source. Facts--and what is best for all Utahns--make little difference when extractive industries, utility monopolies, and narrow interests run the show during elections.
Elections can make politicians decide who to trust and who to serve. To paraphrase that famous quote, it’s hard to get a politician to understand something if his election depends on him not understanding it. This is why the impacts of bad air--the average Utahn loses two years of life as a result--and the advantages of protected public lands mean little.
This is where O2 Utah comes in. It takes the fight to elections and stops giving free reign to narrow interests. As a 501(c)4 nonprofit, O2 Utah has the flexibility to engage in electoral work as well as draft and lobby for bold legislation to clean Utah’s dirty air, protect our public lands, and combat climate change.
Not even two-years old, O2 Utah has already proven itself a powerful force in Utah elections. O2 Utah changed the conversation around environmental issues in a number of GOP primaries during last year’s election cycle, helped NOMINATE a less extreme Republican to replace Rob Bishop and flip the only seat in the Utah House to change in 2020. Now, O2 Utah is also engaging in municipal elections all along the Wasatch Front. Furthermore, O2 Utah successfully introduced rooftop solar legislation during the 2021 session and this fall will roll out a bold air quality package to reduce emissions by 50% by 2030 for next year’s legislative session. O2 Utah has no loyalty to a political party, only to values meant to improve our environment and protect the health & quality of life of our citizens.
To further the impact of this effective organization and change the status-quo in Utah, we need your help. I know we will only be successful if we, as outdoor, environmental advocates and power brokers in the state, take a strategic stance and get involved, early on, in elections to get good policy. It’s vital for our quality of life, our health, our economy, and our personal passions.
Please join me in supporting the work of O2 Utah. With sincere appreciation,
Your friend & cohort in this work,
Peter Metcalf
