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Last month, Senator Mike Dmitrich attended the Utah Mining Association’s 92nd Annual Convention in Park City. At the request of the Association, he presented two awards to legislators, one to Senator Howard Stephenson and one to Representative Wayne Harper.

Done-Finished-NOT!

Unbeknownst to Senator Dmitrich, a surprise was in the works! He was not allowed to exit the stage. He learned he was not only a presenter of awards but a recipient, as well. The Utah Mining Association awarded him a Prazen bronze statue (by renowned sculptor Gary Prazen) entitled “Coal in My Veins” for lifetime legislative achievement. He extends his sincere appreciation to the Utah Mining Association for acknowledging his contribution to Utah’s mining industry and government.

Congratulations, Senator Dmitrich!

“Coal in My Veins”

P.S. Click here for info about Gary Prazen, the sculptor.

Statement on the Crandall Canyon Mine Incident

by Senator Mike Dmitrich
Senate Minority Leader

The month of August in Utah’s coal country has been disconcerting. On August 6, 2007, a collapse occurred at the Crandall Canyon mine near Huntington, Utah. Six miners are trapped. During the underground rescue attempt, another collapse occurred on August 16 killing three rescue workers and injuring six others. (Underground rescue efforts have now been suspended.) Six boreholes have been drilled near the area where the miners were working August 6, but no signs of life have been detected. A seventh hole is now being drilled, and a robotic camera will be lowered into an earlier hole to search for signs of life.

The past three weeks have been grueling for the residents of Carbon and Emery counties. I have personally met with many of the residents, Governor Huntsman, Robert Murray, co-owner of the Crandall Canyon mine, Richard Stickler, assistant secretary of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch, and many other key personnel. Sincere efforts have been made to rescue the trapped miners, but to no avail.

At this time of angst, I would like to express my concern for the trapped miners and their families. They have experienced emotions that none of us can fathom, and I certainly hope for a positive outcome. Also at this time of tragedy, I would like to extend my condolences to the families of the three rescuers who perished and my appreciation to the six rescuers and their families who were injured in their courageous attempt to locate the trapped miners. I hope those who were injured will soon return to good health.

The severity of this tragedy has prompted four congressional investigations, and a fifth may materialize. Governor Huntsman has appointed a Utah Mine Safety Commission chaired by Scott Matheson, former dean of the University of Utah Law School and United States Attorney. The governor has asked me to serve on the Commission, along with former U.S. Senator Jake Garn, Huntington’s Mayor Hilary Gordon, Price’s Mayor Joe Piccolo, Representative Kay McIff, Dennis O’Dell, Safety and Health Director of the United Mine Workers of America, and David Litvin of the Utah Mining Association. Governor Huntsman states, “A significant part of this review will be an assessment of the role of state and local government relative to the federal government and private industry in ensuring mine safety. My objective is to promote mine safety, without partisanship and without oppressive regulation of free enterprise.

Coal mining provides a livelihood for many miners and their families in my Senate district. It should be noted that other coal mines in eastern Utah continue to operate safely. The safety record of Utah’s coal mines has been good until the Crandall incident. I hope this incident demands increased emphasis on safety for our miners. Coal production is a vital component of Utah’s economy. The Utah coal mining industry employs nearly 2,000 people. In 2006, 25.5 million short tons of coal were mined at a value of over $570 million. Coal provides more than 50 percent of our nation’s electrical generation, validating the immediate requirement for high levels of safety for miners.

In the past century, great strides have been made in mine safety. Unfortunately, our progress can be diminished when accidents occur resulting in death and/or injury. J. Brett Harvey, president and CEO of CONSOL Energy Inc., delivered the keynote address at last week’s Utah Mining Association convention, and referring to his operation, he stated succinctly, “…safety trumps everything else we do. It trumps production, it trumps profits, it trumps all other rules, policies, and procedures. (CONSOL operates 20 mining sites, including the small underground Emery Mine in Utah.)

I look forward to working with the governor on the Utah Mine Safety Commission and also offer my services to other investigative entities to accomplish our safety ambitions.

The China Report

by Senator Mike Dmitrich
Senate Minority Leader
Senate District 27

As you are probably aware, I just returned from a legislative trip to the Liaoning Province, Utah’s sister state, located in northeastern China. Below is a brief synopsis of many hours spent with government officials in China.

I would like to compliment Senate Majority Leader Curt Bramble on his exemplary conduct in leading our legislative delegation. Without exception, Senator Bramble made a conscientious effort to include all members of the delegation, both Republicans and Democrats, in all presentations made to the Chinese officials. We owe him a big thank you for his efforts.

China is a rapidly developing nation with great resources and needs. Utah, particularly rural Utah, can benefit from the relationship we are building with China’s Liaoning Province. Utah’s expertise in technologies for safely and cleanly using our natural resources, as well as our educational and cultural resources, can greatly benefit Liaoning Province while helping Utah to succeed in today’s world economy.

Liaoning is rich in natural resources, just like rural Utah. Unlike rural Utah, though, the Chinese have struggled to make advances in mining, exploration, and extraction technologies. Also, they have not made great strides in mine safety as we have. During my visit, I was able to discuss these concerns with leaders in the Liaoning Province, and I am confident Utah can export its expertise and mine safety equipment to China to help decrease the number of mining deaths in their province. The provincial officials also discussed other mutually beneficial partnerships, like coal gasification, utilization of coal-bed methane, and uranium mining.

We also met with educational leaders and discussed possible cooperation with educational exchanges. At Liaoning University, we saw a modern university with a strong desire for educational partnerships in America. The Chinese are building universities at a startling pace, trying to move their economy from low-skilled manufacturing jobs to higher skilled ones. As other countries like Vietnam become more competitive in low-skilled manufacturing, this is increasingly important for China. Many of their students study in the United States, which gives us the opportunity to influence China’s future leaders and encourage political reforms we hope will accompany China’s economic growth.

Other visits were to high-tech parks and manufacturing facilities. These are modern facilities with a young and diligent workforce. These industries are growing quickly and attracting more and more workers. There are many opportunities for foreign investment and for understanding the characteristics that make China such an attractive place to do business.

In our meetings with government leaders at the city, provincial, and even national level, we learned that China needs the resources of states like Utah to continue its economic reforms. These visits help foster the cooperative environment that can lead to genuine reform in China, both economically and politically. Utah has talent and ingenuity ready to be shipped around the world in the form of people and products. These people and products can benefit China and Utah simultaneously. This is what we discovered in our meetings in China as we built relationships to cooperatively move forward in our shrinking world.

What’s Best for Public Ed?

By Senator Mike Dmitrich
Senate Minority Leader
Senate District 27

Due to the recent Utah Supreme Court ruling regarding HB148–Education Vouchers (subject of the referendum vote in November), the public will have a straight up or down vote on a universal voucher program for the state of Utah. The Court ruled that a second bill, HB174, Education Voucher Amendments, is inadequate for enacting a voucher program on its own.

On behalf of the Utah Senate Democrats, I applaud the efforts of many groups and individuals for their professional conduct in exercising their constitutional right to bring this issue before the people. We express our thanks to the UEA, PTA, Utahns for Public Schools, the Utah State Board of Education (chaired by Kim Burningham), the Utah State Office of Education attorneys, the 131,000 signers of the petition, and all others who worked tirelessly to arrive at this juncture.

We also thank all of Utah’s public education employees and volunteers who daily contribute to the success of Utah’s public education system.

As posted previously on our blog, the Senate and House Democrats oppose vouchers. Prior to the Supreme Court ruling, House Minority Leader Ralph Becker and I wrote two letters to Governor Huntsman asking him to call a special session to resolve the confusion created by this phenomenon of circumstances. The Supreme Court ruling has now eliminated the need for a special session, and obviously, we hope the voters overturn the voucher law passed by the Legislature.

Vouchers are not a “bureaucrat and liberal union” issue as has been cited by voucher proponents. Instead, the core issue is whether or not it is in the best interest of our public education system to subsidize private schools. In my opinion, the voucher law is blatantly unfair to Utah’s students, particularly those who reside in rural areas of the state.

The ballot language has been approved, along with arguments for and against vouchers, for publication in the Voter Information Pamphlet. I am very pleased with the argument against vouchers and believe it addresses all relevant concerns for the voters’ consideration. (Click “Read the rest of the entry” below for the complete argument against vouchers.)

Between now and November when the vote takes place, I urge the citizens of Utah to carefully consider the voucher issue and base their vote on a rational evaluation of the broader question: What course of action is best for the public education system in our state?

Read the rest of this entry »

A Plea to the Governor

by Senator Mike Dmitrich
Senate Minority Leader

Amidst the school voucher mess, the Utah Senate Democrats would like to reiterate their position on HB148 and HB174 intended to enact the voucher law.

For the record, the Senate Democrats voted against HB148, the original voucher bill and subject of the successful referendum. The governor has called a statewide special election for November 6, 2007, and directed that the referendum challenging HB148 be submitted to the voters at that special election.

HB174, another voucher bill containing some, but not all, of the provisions of HB148 also passed during the past legislative session. As outlined by Senator Scott McCoy in a previous post, HB174 was explained as a clean-up bill and contained some of the amendments offered (but rejected) during the HB148 debate. Knowing the primary voucher bill had been signed by the governor and wanting to cure some of the more egregious problems with the original voucher bill, the Senate Democrats voted for HB174. In fact, HB174 passed by two-thirds majorities in both bodies, rendering HB174 referendum-proof.

Speculation now abounds concerning the validity of HB174 to stand on its own to implement vouchers in Utah. In an effort to eliminate the confusion of these two voucher bills, Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich and House Minority Leader Ralph Becker sent a letter to Governor Huntsman last week imploring the governor to call a special session to “provide a way to clean up conflicting interpretations of whether vouchers should be implemented in the middle of a referendum called by the people.”

Click below to read the letter in its entirety. (No response from the governor as yet.)

Read the rest of this entry »

DEJA VU

In last Monday’s Tribune, a pamphlet was tucked away in the folds of the newspaper entitled “The Real Salt Lake Stadium.” Here is an excerpt from page 2:

Who supported HB38?

“The new law received broad bi-partisan support from both Democrats and
Republicans, with support from Senate President John Valentine, House
Speaker Greg Curtis, Majority Leader Dave Clark, and Minority Leader
Ralph Becker.”

Noticeably absent from the list of bi-partisan supporters in the pamphlet (and on the ReAL website) is Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich.

Deja vu???

After the passage of HB38, a pompous news conference was held outside the State Capitol, attended by key players who put the deal together (political players–not soccer players, though they were in attendance, also).

To his credit, Governor Huntsman acknowledged the bi-partisan effort and invited the State’s minority leadership to attend the news conference. Senator Dmitrich even took a turn at the dais.

ReAL owner Dave Checketts and his entourage then presented ReAL scarves and jerseys (with their names on them) to Republican legislators and left the Democrats scarfless and jerseyless.

The issue is not a scarf or a jersey. The issue is that Mr. Checketts failed to acknowledge the vital role of BOTH parties in passing HB38, which appropriated funds for the stadium.

Six Senate Democrats deserve thanks for their aye votes, which were ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for the stadium ReALity.

Grand Old Elected Official & Sports Official

Don’t miss today’s Utah Policy Daily featuring a profile of Utah Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich. He was elected in 1968 to the Utah Legislature at the age of 31 and has served continuously since then, making him Utah’s longest-serving legislator. It is a colorful characterization written by Greg Jarrard entitled “Mike Dmitrich: Grand Old Man of the Legislature,” and also highlights his professional career and his career as a high school basketball and football referee. He and his wife Bo live in Price USA (as he affectionally calls his home) and have three children and three grandchildren.

A Permanent Home for Sports

Senator Mike Dmitrich’s Senate Bill 167 (2nd substitute) passed the Legislature and is awaiting the signature of the governor. The legislation creates the Utah Sports Authority (USA), a seven-member board appointed to oversee promotion, development, and marketing of sports events and sports tourism in Utah. Three members of the board will be appointed by the governor, two by the Senate president (no legislators), and two by the Speaker of the House (no legislators). The Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission, presently under the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce, will move under the USA umbrella.

The Utah Sports Authority will attract and oversee all types of sporting events, including cycling, wrestling, volleyball, fencing, cross country skiing, golf, tennis, gymnastics, and that’s just the beginning of the list.

SPORTS:  They’re great for participants, spectators, and Utah’s economy.

Welcome to our Site and Blog

Welcome to the Web site and blog of the Utah Senate Democrats, where you can become acquainted with the views and perceptions of Democrats in Utah.

We bring to the table a diverse conglomerate of backgrounds offering expertise in natural resources and mining, higher education administration, public relations, labor and industrial organization management, law, political polling and research, and engineering. We represent a diverse aggregate of citizens in both rural and urban Senate districts, and we believe our diversity complements their diversity.

We take our lawmaking responsibilities seriously and are committed to quality representation for our constituents. Please visit our site often for Utah’s sound, sensible outlook.

Mike Dmitrich
Senate Minority Leader