About HEAL Utah
HEAL Utah is working to oppose the first use of nuclear power in Utah, a low-efficiency, high-waste reactor which would result from the Utah Associated Municipal Power Suppliers (UAMPS) so-called Carbon Free Power Plan (CFPP). UAMPS is a public agency made up of 46 cities and towns, most of them in Utah, who operate their own power systems independently from the major local utility, Rocky Mountain Power. This plan would involve the development of a 720-megawatt (MW) small modular reactor (SMR) pilot project comprised of 12 SMRs generating 60 MW each. UAMPS member communities across Utah are being asked to enter contracts to use this nuclear power for 40-80 years. These communities’ city councils will be voting on whether or not to participate in the spring of 2019 and again in the spring of 2020. We are strategically working to convince these communities to vote against this plan in order to 1) prevent the generation of high-level nuclear waste that is piling up all over the country with no safe place to be disposed of and 2) the high cost of this source of power to ratepayers. We are in favor of a Clean Power Plan that would provide carbon-free power without high-level environmental risk, damage, and dangers to life. The SMR plan by UAMPS does not meet that criteria.
Job Description
The overall goal for the Clean Power for Utah Community Organizer is to support local advocacy efforts against UAMPS Carbon Free Power Plan (CFPP) in those communities that are considering participation in this project including Washington County, Cache County and the Wasatch Front. The person in this position will work in partnership with local advocacy groups in primary targeted UAMPS communities to provide logistical support for local allied organizations and other community leaders, and to do grassroots organizing and training.
The primary focus of the Clean Power for Utah Community Organizer is to help established local organizations and opinion leaders to build, maintain and demonstrate support within the community as they partner with HEAL to successfully educate citizens, city council, and power managers on the environmental and financial dangers of UAMPS’ CFPP and the alternatives available to them for the clean power for Utah.
Working with HEAL Utah and local allied groups, the organizer will plan and implement a community grassroots organizing effort to help local advocates and HEAL educate residents about the CFPP and potential risks for both the community and other areas of the state. The organizer will work directly with community members and existing local organizations and help facilitate private meetings, public testimony, op-eds, letters to the editor,etc. between local experts and members of city councils, local news media, and community power managers. The organizer is a flexible team player who works collaboratively with volunteers and activists to build and demonstrate support for local resistance to UAMPS CFPP.
Qualifications
To effectively perform this role, the applicant must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, the ability to build and maintain relationships, an understanding of the local community, and the ability to see a project through to completion. The applicant should also be able to work independently and committed to protecting future generations from high-level nuclear waste and advancing a sustainable energy future. Demonstrated experience in grassroots organizing preferred. The applicant should be able to commit to at least a 6 month campaign, with benchmarks for success and alteration along the way and the opportunity (but not necessarily the expectation) to continute longer should the campaign continue to the spring of 2020.
Responsibilities
- Work with campaign coordinators and the organizing team (both local organization and HEAL) to implement strategies advancing community opposition to UAMPS’ CFPP and support for clean energy alternatives utilizing both environmental and economic arguments.
- Coordinate support for the campaign’s mission with other local strategic constituencies as deemed appropriate by campaign coordinators.
- Research and identify existing local environmental advocacy groups, leaders and key individuals to gather information about how to best engage the community. Seek and follow through on their advice as directed by the campaign coordinators.
- Identify events, venues and activities where the local organization and/or HEAL can interact, educate and engage members of the Southern Utah community (tabling, presentations, service projects, articles in publications, colleges, community gatherings, festivals, etc.) and engage them through presentations, information tables, speaking opportunities, etc.
- Identify key media and visibility opportunities in the community related to UAMPS’ CFPP and follow through with supporters through strategic placement of Letters to the Editor, Opinion commentaries, and other writing.
- Help the local organization frame the energy/waste/economic arguments so they are relevant to the local community.
- Assist in developing campaign materials as needed.
Compensation, etc.
The Clean Power for Utah Community Organizer Intern position will last through June/July 2018, or the conclusion of the CFPP public process in 2020 or at which time the CFPP is no longer going forward in primary UAMPS communities. There will be opportunities to continue the internship past the 2018 timeframe if it is deemed feasible by the intern and HEAL.
Total compensation will be $2,000 per intern per year.
The intern should expect to work 10-20 hours per month for the duration of the campaign.
More About HEAL Utah
HEAL Utah was founded over twenty years ago by citizen activists in the communities of Tooele and Grantsville on the edge of the Great Salt Lake. These citizens were concerned about how the desert west of the lake was being increasingly used by the military and private corporations to test, store, destroy, and emit highly toxic substances, including chemical and biological weapons, dioxins,chlorine gas, and nuclear waste. HEAL currently focuses on three major issues: Clean Air, Renewable Energy and Climate Change, and Nuclear and Other Toxic Waste. We work to advance positive environmental policies in these areas through legislation, regulatory policy, and strong grassroots advocacy.