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Show 17 THE NATIONAL ENTERPRISE, SEPTEMBER 28, 1977 Conservative tag doesnt bother Utah Foundation by Milt Policzer Enterprise Staff Writer Henry Pearson admits to being conservative. Now of course that's not terribly strange or startling, but the man is the executive director of the Utah foundation. an organization that is supposed to put out factual, unbiased reports on taxes and government expenditures in Utah. But the conservative label doesn't make Pearson think the quality of his foundation's reports are in any way impaired. This is not a reflection Pearson upon objectivity, week. last told the Enterprise The Pearson, 63-year-- who has been executive director of the Foundation for 30 of the (and this aspiring muckraker did his best to find one). Legislators use their reports in making policy decisions. The media report them faithfully. School teachers use their material in classes. Conservative Viewpoints ization e The only comments came from those who pointed out the foundation's way of looking at things (i.e. conservatively and from the point the point of view of the businesses who financially support it) perhaps affects the kind of facts the foundation reports and the questions that it asks. But no quasi-negativ- says he subscribes to the "time-honore- d economic prin- ciple that the basis of economic wealth is production. You cant give someone something without extracting it from someone else, he said, and govermnent can't create anything by flat. "If anyone interprets that to compromise objectivity, then so be it. No Activist no stretch of the imgination is the Utah foundation an activist organization. Its purpose is simply to offer facts hopefully objective so that intelligent decisions e and planning can By long-rang- be braought about for government. And it seems next to impossible to find someone really critical of the organ- - can load you down with copies of complimentary letters hes received, also says he gets practically no negative mail. That's pretty impressive when you consider the bulk of material produced by the foundation since 1946. It includes 371 monthly research reports, about 300 shorter research briefs, perhaps 20 annual statistical reviews of government, three editions of a text on state and local government in Utah, and reabout 50 special ports on timely issues. Those issues includethree favorites on which the Found in-dep- th ation likes to report at least once a year: education, highw ays, and public welfare. They are emphasized, according to Pearson, because they consume 80 percent of the state's funds. After that, unemployment compensation is examined at least every other year. Over the years, Pearson has chosen most of the topics. Recently, research director Allan J. Witt has aided in the choices. Pearson appears to take pride in being free from outside control and the accuracy of the Foundation's e revenue and expenditure projections. Having been there so long, he long-rang- ought to know how well hes done. We think they have been extremely accurate, Pearson said, particularly in relation to other information sources. He points out that in recent years the Foundation has come out with high, middle, and low extimates to give officials a range in which to base decisions. That, he explains, will account for unpredictable variables such as inflation. The middle figures are used as a basis for the Foundation's calculations. Before the Foundation publishes a report, it gives copies to public officials who Continued on page 23 Proposed IPP plant cant meet air quality Sterling Merrell, public years hes been there, 31 one questioned its accuracy or their reliability. Pearson, who Seven million dollars is a pretty nice hunk of change and you can do a lot of things with it. But it cant buy you love and it cant buy you government approval. The Intermountain Power Project found that out last week as the Interagency Task Force on Power Plant Siting got a staff report showing IPPs preferred site in Wayne County couldnt measure up to U.S. Clean Air Act standards even with a variance which could be granted if Utah's governor and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior agreed. That finding ran contrary to IPPs big money study on the site for its planned 3,000 power megawatt coal-fire- d at far least. so plant. Still, IPP officials are far from panicing. In fact, said J. in- formation officer for IPP, we feel no concern about that. Merrell is also public information officer for the Intermountain Consumer Power Association (ICPA) and a director of the Intermountain Power Agency (IPA). At any rate, Merrell pointed out that IPPs primary "Salt Wash site was still in the running because Interior Secretary Cecil Andrus had never really ruled it out completely when he expressed reservations about its proximity to Capital Reef National Park. The task force, also last week after getting the air quality report and another report on possible legal limitations one the 13 sites studied, narrowed its choices down to six for further study. Only two of those six (one in Millard County and another in Emery County) presented no air quality problems. The four in other (two Wayne in and two County Emery were to be found County) acceptable if a variance is focusing its further study on the Wayne County sites after a plea from Wayne County Commissioner Dwight S. Wil- granted. The group came close to Continued on jutge liams detailing the economic need the area has for such an industry to locate there. 19 |