The Rocky Mountain Power Bill

The other day, the Utah Senate passed a last-minute bill to make consumers pay for Rocky Mountain Power's fire insurance so it can keep operating a coal-powered plant and wreaking havoc on the environment. Then a little committee met to discuss the bill and invite public comments before it proceeded to the House. Four people were there to oppose the bill in person on behalf of various groups, and four more including me opposed it over Zoom. That's eight from the entire state. Everyone else's comments were very scripted and cited a lot of facts and statistics, which makes sense, of course, but I hoped that my extemporaneous heartfelt comments about how a rate increase will ruin my life even further would add another dimension and reach some of the legislators in a different way. I just told them that everything has gotten more expensive in the last year, that I go to the food pantry, and that I can't save up enough money for summer rent. I was very proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and speaking out on an important issue. I felt really, really good.

Then the representative from Rocky Mountain Power spoke in favor of the bill, and the committee voted 6-3 to pass it along, as I'm sure they were planning to do before the meeting started. If that doesn't summarize how the Republican party works and how little anything I say or do matters, I don't know what does. I'm so goddamn tired of having no agency because I'm not a goddamn billionaire or a goddamn corporation. I guess I'll just go sell both of my kidneys.