Gov. Walker signs first state-approved regional haze plan

Gov. Walker today signed a letter of submittal to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, setting in motion Utah's plan to improve and protect air quality in national parks in the West.

"Utah's plan is a significant milestone because it represents a regional approach to reducing haze in the West's most celebrated national parks, five of which are in our own backyard," Walker said. "That means that over the next two decades Utah's air will become cleaner, and visitors to our national parks will more fully enjoy the scenic vistas that deserve to be protected."

Utah is the first state to have an approved regional haze plan. Utah's plan aims to reduce air pollution by using cost-effective, market-based programs rather than traditional command-and-control regulations. The plan also considers impacts of smoke from prescribed fires and focuses on renewable energy and energy efficiency. The plan's goal is to reduce sulfur dioxide by 50 to 70 percent by 2040. The first phase of the plan goes through 2018.

All five of Utah's national parks - Arches, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon and Zion - experience haze.

According to Dianne Nielson, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, the plan details strategies Utah will use to reduce the full range of human-caused pollutants that contribute to regional haze.

"It's a good plan and one that makes sense for Utah and for the West," Nielson said. "It is progress toward cleaner air."

In addition to Utah, four other states are submitting their market-based program plans by the end of December 2003: Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming and Oregon. The remaining western states will develop a more prescriptive regulatory program.

The Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP) provided much of the technical support for the plans. WRAP is a partnership of western states, western tribes and three federal agencies.

The partnership works closely with stakeholders, local governments, environmental groups, industry and academia to compile regional air quality information and identify market-based strategies for reducing regional haze and improving visibility.

Utah's regional haze plan is available on the Web at www.airquality.utah.gov/SIP/regionalhazesip/regionalhaze.htm. More information on the WRAP can be found at www.wrapair.org

11:54:13 AM    

The deadline to file claims in the Taxol® antitrust case has been extended through January 31, 2004. Although thousands of claims have already been filed, Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff says the deadline has been extended to give consumers additional time to act on their legal rights.

"We need to do everything possible to let cancer patients know they may be eligible for this cash settlement," says Shurtleff. "I will be sending a letter to hospitals and oncologists to help us contact patients about the refund."

The Attorneys General of all 50 states settled a lawsuit with Bristol-Myers Squibb for overcharging cancer patients. Individuals could receive claims between $400 and $2600 if they took the medication Taxol®, or its generic equivalent paclitaxel, between January 1, 1999, and February 28, 2003. The settlement also includes $55 million in cash and approximately $7.5 million in drugs for medically indigent patients.

It is estimated that as many as 400,000 cancer patients could be affected by the nationwide settlement.

"The Attorney General's Office has put a great effort into securing this refund for consumers who have been harmed," says Assistant Attorney General Wayne Klein. "It would be a shame if those who are suffering from such a terrible illness didn't get their money back."

Taxol® is Bristol-Myers Squibb's brand name for the cancer drug paclitaxel (also marketed as Onxol®), an FDA-approved treatment for non-small cell lung cancer, breast and ovarian cancers and AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma. Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among women, with more than 211,000 new diagnoses each year. Ovarian cancer is the sixth most common cancer among women, with more than 25,000 new cases each year.

Claim registrations and complete information can be obtained at www.taxolsettlement.com or by calling 1-800-659-7609. Claims must now be postmarked by January 31, 2004.

11:47:39 AM    

Challenges Issued for Technology Transfer and Remediation

At a Board of Regents meeting today, Gov. Walker announced a 4 percent increase in her fiscal year 2005 budget recommendations to fund higher education. The $39 million increase includes $24.9 million in new state funds.

"I am not proposing any cuts to this budget," said Walker. "And I want to make sure we continue to fund important initiatives of higher education, which in turn drive our economy."

The governor recommends $26 million for a cost-of-living increase and for health, dental and retirement benefits; $2.5 million for student support; $1.5 million for the engineering initiative; $750,000 for other initiatives, including hiring and training of additional nursing faculty; and $250,000 in New Century scholarships.

During her announcement, Walker issued a challenge to the state’s research universities to partner with the business and professional communities to boost economic development.

"Higher education is the engine of economic development," Walker said. "With the research programs at schools like the University of Utah and Utah State University and the start-up businesses they influence, we have great potential to transfer technology from research to business and back into research."

Walker also asked the Board of Regents to develop a self-supporting program by July 1, 2004, for remediation classes at state colleges and universities to assist high-school graduates who are not able to do college-level work. Currently, two-thirds of college students needing remediation are recent high school graduates.

"It is my desire to develop a way to help our students continue their education and get the help they need without increasing costs to the state," said Walker. "The number of students entering public education will soon enter into higher education and we need to ensure they’ll have a successful transition."

Walker’s budget recommendations assume a 4.5 percent first tier tuition increase as adopted by the Board of Regents. The governor will release her entire budget recommendations Monday.

9:17:33 AM