Demoralized. But Not Defeated.

You know those great days? When you have a spring in your step and you greet everything with a smile and a jolt of optimism?

Tuesday was not one of those days.

HEAL, legally, is a nonpartisan organization. We can not endorse candidates. But, not surpisingly, the vast majority of our staff, board, advisors and supporters did not support the man who will now be our new President — with the House and Senate firmly at his side.

Sigh.

That man — I refuse to type his name today, but it rhymes with “dump”, “schlump” and “rump” — called global warming a Chinese hoax, vowed to do away with the EPA, wants to eliminate all federal supports for clean energy and pledged to ignore the Paris agreement. That man is now our President-elect.

Sigh.

But you know what? You know who has all kinds of experience operating in a hostile political environment? Who has fought powerful giants and won? Who is accustomed to being greeted with hostility yet never stops fighting for what’s right?

Utahns who care about public health and the environment. Chip Ward. Terry Tempest Williams. Edward Abbey. And so many more.

And HEAL Utah.

We’ve stared adversity in the face before — and fought. And prevailed.

But on this very dark day, we know we can only do that with your support. I’m writing to ask you to please consider joining us at our Fall Party one week from today. Some of you have already are planning on attending (thank you!) but I’ll be very honest: We haven’t sold as many tickets as we had hoped so far, because, undoubtedly, many of you weren’t quite able to look beyond the election.

Now, one week from today, we will gather. When we feel demoralized — and boy do we feel that today — we need community. And HEAL has one of the best ones around. At the Fall Party, we will eat, drink, listen and maybe laugh a little. Please join us.

Let me just tell you one thing we’ll be talking about. With Washington, D.C. more foe than friend, our best bet for defending health and the environment is where it’s always been: Right here in Utah.

And boy do we have a fight coming up. Good ‘ol Rocky Mountain Power, which clearly learned the Bury-Bad-News-On-A-Big-News-Day trick, today announced the fees it wants to slap on rooftop solar owners. We’ll tell you more about this soon, but here’s our quick reaction: What our utility asked for is outrageous. It would kill further solar development in Utah. Our industry friends tell us it’s the single worst anti-solar proposal they’ve ever see. Worse than Nevada, which managed to gut its solar industry.

At the Fall Party, we’ll talk about our plans to fight them. To stare yet another giant in the eyes, not despair and keep working. To not be paralyzed, but filled with the certainty that no matter the odds, we must press forward.

Please join us.

Matt.

P.S.                                                               

Oh, Rocky Mountain Power!

Public Relations 101: Issue bad news you want to hide on a huge news day. And so Utah’s biggest utility did, waiting until a day saturated with Election Day coverage to unveil the fees it’s seeking to levy on new solar customers. Our Take