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PRICE — Organizers say they hope to draw as many as 10,000 people to a Thursday night rally that's meant to educate the public about the benefits of continuing to develop Utah's fossil fuel reserves.
"We want to see these bleachers absolutely packed full of people," Karra Hillam said Wednesday while making last-minute preparations for Utah's first Coal and Fossil Fuel Rally.
The primary purpose of the rally is help people better understand the energy industry, the processes it uses, and the economic benefits it provides for the region and the state, according to Hillam, who serves as the director of the South Eastern Utah Energy Producers Association.
The free event will also highlight "the possibility of thousands of lost jobs," if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency continues to place more restrictive regulations on energy producers, Hillam said.
"We've been too quiet with the facts," she said. "We've allowed people to come in and talk about scientific theories, but the facts are ultimately what people need to know and understand."
Hillam has been helped by an army of volunteers and sponsors who put the rally together in seven weeks.
Joni Hackwell, a Carbon County native whose father worked as a coal miner and a rancher, wasn't sure what the event would become when she agreed to help, but she quickly saw the value.
"It's definitely got to go beyond this one event," said Hackwell, who owns the Coldstone Creamery in Price.
It affects the whole community. Those who still have a job worry if they could be laid off next. If there's even a rumor (of layoffs), you see people putting their money in their pockets. They quit spending.
–Joni Hackwell, Carbon County native
Hackwell said she's seen sales drop by as much as 20 percent when one of the area's coal mines announced layoffs.
"It affects the whole community," she said. "Those who still have a job worry if they could be laid off next. If there's even a rumor (of layoffs), you see people putting their money in their pockets. They quit spending."
Hillam pointed out that 43 percent of the jobs in Carbon County are tied to the energy industry, but she said the rally isn't just for residents of Utah's Castle Country.
"We are inviting everyone to come out and participate," she said.
In addition to guest speakers and a live concert, the first 3,000 people through the gate for Thursday night's rally will receive a free dinner. There are also a number of interactive activities for kids, including a haunted coal mine.
"Again, as they go through there, they will learn about things that actually happen in coal mines," Hillam said. "Fossil fuels are here for a reason. They are here to enrich and bless our lives, when they are properly used.
"None of us are against the EPA and what they stand for," Hillam continued. "We just need (regulation) to be done in a rational manner that doesn't completely eliminate a town or a county."
The Coal and Fossil Fuel Rally begins at 5 p.m. at the Carbon County Fairgrounds in Price. More information can be found on the website for the South Eastern Utah Energy Producers Association.
