Would you want nuclear waste stored near your community?
13.03.2026 17:08
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Would you want nuclear waste stored near your community?
Spent nuclear fuel stays dangerously radioactive for thousands of years, raising serious environmental and public health concerns.
Would you want nuclear waste stored near your community?
Learn more about the proposal and potential impacts here:
Utah could become a storage site for the nation’s nuclear waste.
State leaders are exploring storing radioactive waste in Millard County as part of expanding Utah’s role in the nuclear fuel cycle.
New op-ed from a UPHE Board Member and Climate Change Ambassador on the consequences of rolling back climate protections and failing to address greenhouse gas pollution.
But two bills raise serious concerns:
⚠️ HB 234 - weakens public health protections
⚠️ HB 60 - blocks air quality from being considered in water rights decisions
Governor Cox can still VETO HB 234 & HB 60.
📞 Contact the Governor:
governor.utah.gov/contact/
Utah Legislative Session Wrap-Up
Some progress this year:
• HB 76 - Data center water use transparency
• HB 509 - State wetlands study
• HB 378 - Stronger dust mitigation rules
• HB 247 - Funding for Great Salt Lake protection
Status: Passed the Legislature.
Now Governor Cox must decide whether to sign or veto it.
⏱ Contact | Governor Spencer J. Cox and urge a VETO
governor.utah.gov/contact/
SB 234 would weaken Utah’s ability to protect public health.
The bill blocks regulators from acting when contaminants increase the risk of disease, forcing agencies to prove a specific toxin causes a specific illness before taking action.
That ignores decades of public health science.
✅ SUPPORT HB 263
Creates a fee on high-emission heavy-duty vehicles to fund projects that reduce pollution and improve public health.
📞 Ask your Senator to support HB 263 if it returns to the floor.
#utleg #utpol
❌ OPPOSE HB 323
Creates costly regulations that could discourage rooftop solar adoption.
📞 Ask your Senator to oppose HB 323 if it returns to the floor.
⏳ Final week of the Utah legislative session — two quick actions.
Both bills were sent back to the Senate Rules Committee, where leaders will decide whether they move forward before session ends.
rwinterton@le.utah.gov, nblouin@le.utah.gov, ebuss@le.utah.gov, mmckell@le.utah.gov, jplumb@le.utah.gov, ssandall@le.utah.gov, evickers@le.utah.gov
#GreatSaltLake
HB 501 hearing TODAY at 4 PM.
UPHE opposes it because it increases financial pressure for major diversion projects that threaten the Great Salt Lake.
Less lake water = more toxic dust and worse air.
Call and EMAIL members of the Senate Government Operations Committee and urge a NO vote.
Learn more about Great Salt Lake dust and health risks
#GreatSaltLake #UtahAirQuality #HB501
UPHE opposes HB 501.
Status: Now in the Senate and awaiting committee assignment.
Take action: Contact your legislators and urge them to OPPOSE HB 501
The Bear River is the single largest source of water to the Great Salt Lake. Diverting it upstream would further shrink the lake, increasing toxic dust & worsening air quality across northern Utah.
Dust from the exposed lakebed can carry harmful pollutants that pose serious risks to public health.
HB 501 proposes new fees on water bills that could fund major water development projects, like the proposed Bear River diversion.
Utahns deserve clean air, protected water, and accountability — not policies that weaken safeguards when we need them most.
📌 See other bills and actions UPHE is tracking
#GreatSaltLake #ProtectOurAir #UtahLeg #CleanAir
📞 Call your State Representative.
Ask them to oppose SB 225 as written and support a 200,000 gallon/day water cap for all Great Salt Lake Basin Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA) project areas.
Find your rep
Meanwhile:
𝗦𝗕 𝟮𝟮𝟱 – 𝗣𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
Would let tax dollars subsidize water-heavy private development in the Great Salt Lake Basin — draining basin water and destroying wetlands, undermining efforts to restore lake levels.
This bill passed the Senate and is now in the House.
Both bills passed House & Senate.
📞 Call Governor Cox: urge a VETO of HB60 & HB222
𝗛𝗕 𝟲𝟬 – 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀
Stops the State Engineer from considering certain water rights protests — including those linking air quality to GSL.
𝗛𝗕 𝟮𝟮𝟮 – 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀
Blocks communities from holding polluters accountable for greenhouse gas harm, even as climate pollution worsens air.
Air quality in Utah is directly tied to Great Salt Lake water levels. As the lake shrinks, toxic dust increases — impacting public health across the Wasatch Front.
𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 — and we have a narrow window to act.
🌲 Learn more about our work protecting Parley’s Canyon: UPHE Statement & Info.
#ProtectParleys #CleanWater #CentralWasatch
Parley’s is more than a transit corridor — it’s recreation, conservation, and a critical watershed. The proposed mine risks fugitive dust, water contamination, and harm to the valley’s natural landscapes and wildlife.
💧 Protecting our water, air, and environment is non-negotiable.
CWC & Environmental Systems Committee Speak Out on Parley’s Mine Proposal
Our executive directors on the Environmental Systems Committee and the Central Wasatch Commission issued a strong statement opposing Granite Construction’s proposed open-air gravel mine in Parley’s Canyon.
𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹. 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝘀.
🔎 Find your state Senator here: le.utah.gov/GIS/findDist...
Protect air. Protect water. Protect public health.
Call or email today!
#UtahLegislature #AirQuality #PublicHealth
𝗛𝗕 𝟯𝟳𝟴 – 𝗙𝘂𝗴𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗗𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
📞 Call your Senator: ✅ Support HB 378
Strengthens dust rules:
-Visibility signage
-Written violation notices
-Reporting & inspections
-Options for approved on-site dust control
Protects air quality & public health — especially near dust-producing operations.