My 'Water- Conservation Letter' Today to Utah House Majority Leader Mike Schultz and Utah Governor Spencer Cox:

----- Forwarded Message -----

From: "John McMillan" <mcmillanj@att.net>

To: "Mike Schultz" <mikeschultz@le.utah.gov>, "Office of Gov. Spencer Cox" <govcomm@utah.gov>, "Gay Lynn Bennion" <glbennion@le.utah.gov>, "mballard@le.utah.gov" <mballard@le.utah.gov>, "Paul A. Cutler" <pcutler@le.utah.gov>, "Brett Garner" <bgarner@le.utah.gov>, "Marsha Judkins" <mjudkins@le.utah.gov>, "State Rep. Angela Romero" <angelaromero@le.utah.gov>, "Jplumb" <jplumb@le.utah.gov>, "Joel Briscoe" <jbriscoe@le.utah.gov>, "Deseret News 2022" <dnweb@deseretnews.com>, "waterwise@utah.gov" <waterwise@utah.gov>, "joshzimmerman@utah.gov" <joshzimmerman@utah.gov>, "cschaible@utah.gov" <cschaible@utah.gov>, "Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson 2021" <beckiepage@utah.gov>, "mballard@le.utah.gov" <mballard@le.utah.gov>, "Mayor Wilson" <mayor@slco.org>, "Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall 2021" <mayor@slcgov.com>, "christinewatkins@le.utah.gov" <christinewatkins@le.utah.gov>, "mmckell@le.utah.gov" <mmckell@le.utah.gov>, "gsyphus@le.utah.gov" <gsyphus@le.utah.gov>, "Mark A. Strong" <mstrong@le.utah.gov>, "County Council Member Bradshaw" <ARBradshaw@slco.org>, "kcullimore@le.utah.gov" <kcullimore@le.utah.gov>, "suharrison@slco.org" <suharrison@slco.org>, "llstringham@slco.org" <llstringham@slco.org>, "cody.schlottmann@mail.house.gov" <cody.schlottmann@mail.house.gov>, "Internships" <internships@romney.senate.gov>, "Joel_wellum" <joel_wellum@lee.senate.gov>, "tpeterson@le.utah.gov" <tpeterson@le.utah.gov>, "kivory@le.utah.gov" <kivory@le.utah.gov>, "cacton@le.utah.gov" <cacton@le.utah.gov>, "State Rep. Jen Dailey-Provost" <jdprovost@le.utah.gov>, "rayward@le.utah.gov" <rayward@le.utah.gov>, "lsorensen@le.utah.gov" <lsorensen@le.utah.gov>, "wbrooks@le.utah.gov" <wbrooks@le.utah.gov>, "rshipp@le.utah.gov" <rshipp@le.utah.gov>, "scottchew@le.utah.gov" <scottchew@le.utah.gov>, "bbolinder@le.utah.gov" <bbolinder@le.utah.gov>, "Doug Owens" <dougowens@le.utah.gov>, "Joe Dougherty (DHHS)" <joedougherty@utah.gov>, "communications@ogdencity.com" <communications@ogdencity.com>, "Utah State University Provost 2022" <provost@usu.edu>, "beckiepage@utah.gov" <beckiepage@utah.gov>, "Utah Restaurant Association 2022" <info@utahrestaurantassociation.org>, "membership@utahretail.com" <membership@utahretail.com>, "jsweeney@sltrib.com" <jsweeney@sltrib.com>, "Deseret News 2022" <dnweb@deseretnews.com>, "news@ksl.com" <news@ksl.com>, "Fox News SLC 2022" <news@fox13now.com>, "nbauer@abc4.com" <nbauer@abc4.com>, "Jennifer Gardiner" <jgardiner@abc4.com>, "Salt Lake City (UT) City Council" <council.comments@slcgov.com>, "Utah Republican Party" <info@utgop.org>, "Ulct Info" <info@ulct.org>, "utah.chapter@sierraclub.org" <utah.chapter@sierraclub.org>, "U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Devlpt (TX regional office)" <tx_webmanager@hud.gov>, "Utah Apartment Association 2022" <info@uaahq.org>, "Cameron Roden" <croden@utah.gov>, "slcpdpr@slcgov.com" <slcpdpr@slcgov.com>, "SLCPD Outreach" <slcpdoutreach@slcgov.com>, "Utah Farm Bureau Federation 2022" <aubree.thomas@fbfs.com>, "Schools Utah Webmaster" <webmaster@schools.utah.gov>, "Murrayschools Info" <info@murrayschools.org>, "mayor@murray.utah.gov" <mayor@murray.utah.gov>, "marie.stewart" <marie.stewart@slcgov.com>, "Mike Weichers" <mweichers@ch.utah.gov>, "Rori Andreason" <randreason@midvale.com>, "Kimberly Foster" <kimberly.foster@wvc-ut.gov>, "contact@a4we.org" <contact@a4we.org>

Sent: Wed, Mar 27, 2024 at 10:42 PM

Subject: re: Utah drops to No. 20 in US for water-saving policies

https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2023/01/18/utah-water-policy-playing-catch/

March 27, 2024

Dear Utah State House Majority Leader Mike Schultz and Utah Governor Spencer Cox,

I would like to respectfully call your attention to the following paragraphs from a copyrighted  January 18, 2023, "Salt Lake Tribune" news story  by first-rate "Tribune"  staff writer Leia Larsen:

'"Utah urgently needs further investments in water efficiency and conservation,” said Ron Burke, president and CEO of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, in a news release titled 'Progress has been made in recent years, but in many ways, Utah is playing catch up when it should be leading the pack.'

"The nonprofit alliance includes public agencies like the Salt Lake Department of Public Works and Utah State University’s Center for Water Efficiency Landscaping. It also includes businesses and consulting firms. The group works to provide information on water use through(out) the nation and lobby for better policy....."

"The alliance had some recommendations on how Utah could specifically improve its water policy score. It called on the state to require more efficient plumbing fixtures, like low-flow toilets. It suggested lawmakers help utilities limit leaks in their distribution systems. It also recommended funding for cities to reuse and recycle wastewater."

Utah State House Majority Leader Schultz and Utah Governor Cox, I am writing to each of you today in order to ask that our state government please  aggressively and courageously  pursue innovative water-conservation policies that help us become one of  the top two or top three U.S. states for water conservation.

It is very critical for our entire state that Utah achieve the cited "Top Two" or "Top Three" Goal as soon as possible: Many  Utahns and many  other  Americans have long identified our state as the "second driest" in the entire nation.

Among the very tentative water-conservation brainstorming  ideas I myself would like to offer each of you today are:

---Promote specially designed  new water faucets for businesses and homes that either do not have any dripping- faucet problem or that reduce the risk of a dripping- faucet problem occurring in the kitchen sink or bathroom sink.

----Establish a new and very inspirational year-round website sponsored by the State Government of Utah that offers generous  financial prizes, awarded in a variety of categories including children under age 13, high school students,  adults age 65 or older, college students, mothers or fathers raising children, and business owners, for the best or most promising water- conservation ideas for Utah for any given week that were  submitted online at that website.

----Establish  a "Utah Water Waster" permanent website that explains in plain English why each of the citedly "water- wasteful" individuals or entities were formally or informally accused of having wasted a significant amount of water in Utah, along with a follow-up report on Water Conservation actions that each "Water Waster" in Utah has pursued in response to a "Water Waster" complaint against himself or herself.

---Confer a special award and financial prize on  the City Government of Ogden, Utah, for that municipal government's pioneering efforts at promoting water conservation. The City of Ogden has courageously  promoted water conservation  by inviting and investigating  complaints to that municipal government about "Waster Wasters" residing in or owning a business in Ogden.

----Sponsor Design and Publication of a beautiful photo-illustrated "Utah Water Conservation"-theme Wall  Calendar that offers tips pertinent for each  month of the year  on how Utahns and Visitors to Utah can help our beloved "Beehive State" conserve water during that cited month.

---Sponsor Establishment of a 24-hour-a-day, 365 days-per-year telephone hotline service that accepts phone messages and text messages from Utahns, visitors to Utah, and friends of Utah on how our state can become more successful at conserving water.

----Establish and help finance a full-time or part-time "Water Conservation Advocate" paid position of employment or paid "Water Conservation Consultant"  for each and every  state and county or city government agency of Utah.

---Program a new  "Water Conservation Supercomputer" for our entire state of Utah that  generates detailed  factual information about current or future expected short-term and long-term water shortage crises or, alternatively,  water conservation benefits for Utah  from a variety of  current or possible future  public-policy strategies being pursued or reviewed for possible approval.

---Provide funding for a weekly or monthly awards ceremony in which the  Governor of Utah  could be asked to publicly  confer on a Utah resident or Utah civic group or Utah business a "Utah Water Conservation Hero Award" and $5,000 or $10,000 cash prize for outstanding Water Conservation practices or for outstanding Water Conservation ideas or recommendations by a current permanent  resident of Utah.

---Limit the Total Amount of Water that is Used each week by each  Beer Brewery in Utah for production of canned or bottled beer from that brewery, and give local or state government the legal authority in the event of a water shortage crisis at the local level or statewide level to order the temporary closing for one or two weeks or longer  of one or more or all beer breweries in that city or county or on a statewide basis  here in  Utah.

----Ask all adult Utahns to each  limit the number of showers or baths per day they each take  to no more than two, if at all possible.

----Require that each of the commercial "spa" businesses in Utah must fully  implement  water- efficient practices in compliance with state law,  or they risk having their spa business permanently  closed down by the government.

----Require that the water faucets and sinks of each and every new home being built here in Utah must meet "Utah New Home Water- Conservation Criteria" to be  specified by the State Government of Utah.

Utah House Majority Leader Schultz and Utah Governor Cox, I hope that this tentative  brainstorming letter I wrote during my leisuretime today is helpful to each of you.

Sincereky and Best Wishes,

Permanent Utah resident and permanently alcohol-free, lifelong-tobacco-free, lifelong-tattoo-less, single adult male  white Anglo-Saxon gentleman John Kevin McMillan, 535 South 200 East, Apt. 912, Ninth Floor, Salt Lake City, UT 84111. My cell phone: (512) 993-7305.

I am the youngest grandson of Murray butcher shop owner and LDS member Parley Neal McMillan of Murray and his devoted LDS member wife, Mrs.  Alice Mae Pugh (maiden surname) McMillan of Murray.