• that Logan's air ranks 5th worst in the nation and that Salt Lake City's air is 7th worst?

• that infants' lungs are not fully developed at birth, and children living in areas with high pollution will never  fully develop their lungs?

• Industry lobbyists usually have access to our lawmakers and regulatory agencies. The best way to combat that is to let our officials know what you, the average citizens of this state, want.  That's why Utah Moms for Clean Air is encouraging us to write a short note or post card  to the Air Quality Board to let them know that we our concerned about our air quality:

• The poor air quality in the Salt Lake Valley shaves off an average of two years per person's life span?
• Each red alert day is equivalent  to smoking half a pack of cigarettes? With 22 red alert days this past winter, each one of us -- including babies and children -- has had the equivalent of smoking 11 packs of cigarettes this year.

Year after year I’ve felt frustrated about the bad air problems that we have here in the Salt Lake valley. This past winter was the hardest for me – it seemed like such a huge problem and I didn’t have a clue where to start to do something about it. I was excited to learn that a doctors group had organized on this issue, and even more excited when I learned that a mothers’ group was forming.

I attended the first meeting of Utah Moms for Clean Air tonight. I was heartened to see that about 60 people + children turned out at the Foothill library. There was a lot of information presented and a lot to take in, so I’ll probably parse out a “Did you know” post a day or something so as not to overload and overwhelm.

The group will be taking a 3 prong approach to eliminating much of our pollution: 1) government/regulatory/laws 2) corporate/industry and 3) personal responsibility/education.

UMFCA (?) has a web domain reserved (although the site is not yet up): utahmomsforcleanair.org
UPDATE: site is now up, but still under construction.

To get on the email list to find out about future meetings or online participation and what you can do to get involved, you can write to utahmomsforcleanair@gmail.com

One or more representatives from the Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment group will give an introductory presentation on the subject of the health consequences of Utah 's chronic air pollution. Dads and children are, of course, welcome too! (A play area will be set-up for quiet kid play)."

• 2 100-watt equivelent (26 watt) CFL bulbs
• 1 can of Bon-Ami cleanser
• 1 bottle of biokleen Bac-Out stain and odor eliminator
• 1 roll of Seventh Generation recycled paper towels
• 1 box of Seventh Generation recycled facial tissue
• 1 spray bottle of Seventh Generaion all-purpose cleaner
• 1 bottle of Seventh Generation dish liquid (natural lavendar scent)
• 1 can of Equal Exchange Organic Fair Trade Cocoa
• 1 VegNews Magazine (to help with Meatless Mondays -- save CO2 and your health!)
• 1 pkg (20ct.) disposable cups made from corn and 100% compostable
• The bag: Canvas shopping bag from The Community Co-Op of Utah

Terry Wood, ABC 4 News anchor

My name is Pete Ashdown, and I am not an elected official.

I want to thank everyone for coming out tonight. This is an important part of this process. As I have looked at Divine Strake over the past two years, I have always asked one question. I always see the Department of Defense and the DTRA saying, If we can do this, we’ll know this. But what I never see them doing is asking, “Why are we doing this?”

Saddam Hussein came out of a ten_foot hole. Adolph Hitler, which had the __ he had the backing of a nation behind him, came out of a 30_foot bunker. And he came out all by himself. So I went to the DTRA session, the information session, and I asked __ I asked Why are we doing this? And they had the great posters __ I don’t know if some of you saw __ that bunkers are a growing threat. Well, it seems to me that the growing threat are teenagers using cell phones and fertilizer to blow up our troops, not build bunkers with alien technology.

And I said, What’s wrong with dropping a five_ton bomb on the hole to the bunker so you can’t get access to the materials inside, and whatever is inside can’t get out?

Well, we want to destroy what’s inside too. Why? Well, it could be uncovered. They could remove the dirt. They could get it out. Who are we fighting? How can they do this? How can they avoid our spy satellites? How can they avoid our predator drones and use earth movers to uncover their bunkers? It’s baloney. It’s pure baloney. It’s military masturbation, and I’m tired of being forced to watch it.

When it comes to nuclear weapons, the United States is the chain smoker telling the rest of the world to quit. It starts today. We do not need nuclear weapons, and I will say it again. Senator Hatch, stop this test. I applaud Governor Huntsman for the opportunity to speak without being arrested. But I want Governor Huntsman to know that I will get arrested if this test goes forward, and I challenge Governor Huntsman to join me and thousands of other Utahns who will walk out on that range and get arrested so this test does not happen.

Thank you very much.