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As Think Progress reported Wednesday, Utah has a state-endorsed Earth Day poster contest whose theme for 2013 is "Where Would WE Be Without Oil, Gas & Mining?"
The contest is from the Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining and is sponsored by the Salt Lake Petroleum Section of Society of Petroleum Engineers.
The screenshot from the official rules below shows the contest's objectives:

The Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday on some of the outrage the contest sparked:
"I'm disgusted that the State is backing propaganda like this in our schools. Especially after a winter filled with some of the worst air quality we've ever seen? It makes me sick," Colby Poulson, father of a kindergartner at Eagle Bay Elementary in Farmington, wrote in a letter to the editor that ran in The Salt Lake Tribune. [...]
"Had it come across my desk I would have questioned it, especially in connection with Earth Day. We are trying to promote saving the Earth, not using up our natural resources," said Rita Stevenson, the science curriculum director for the district's 59 elementary schools.
The Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining had a similarly-themed poster contest last year. See their list of sponsors below:

Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |

As Think Progress reported Wednesday, Utah has a state-endorsed Earth Day poster contest whose theme for 2013 is "Where Would WE Be Without Oil, Gas & Mining?"
The contest is from the Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining and is sponsored by the Salt Lake Petroleum Section of Society of Petroleum Engineers.
The screenshot from the official rules below shows the contest's objectives:

The Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday on some of the outrage the contest sparked:
"I'm disgusted that the State is backing propaganda like this in our schools. Especially after a winter filled with some of the worst air quality we've ever seen? It makes me sick," Colby Poulson, father of a kindergartner at Eagle Bay Elementary in Farmington, wrote in a letter to the editor that ran in The Salt Lake Tribune. [...]
"Had it come across my desk I would have questioned it, especially in connection with Earth Day. We are trying to promote saving the Earth, not using up our natural resources," said Rita Stevenson, the science curriculum director for the district's 59 elementary schools.
The Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining had a similarly-themed poster contest last year. See their list of sponsors below:


As Think Progress reported Wednesday, Utah has a state-endorsed Earth Day poster contest whose theme for 2013 is "Where Would WE Be Without Oil, Gas & Mining?"
The contest is from the Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining and is sponsored by the Salt Lake Petroleum Section of Society of Petroleum Engineers.
The screenshot from the official rules below shows the contest's objectives:

The Salt Lake Tribune reported Tuesday on some of the outrage the contest sparked:
"I'm disgusted that the State is backing propaganda like this in our schools. Especially after a winter filled with some of the worst air quality we've ever seen? It makes me sick," Colby Poulson, father of a kindergartner at Eagle Bay Elementary in Farmington, wrote in a letter to the editor that ran in The Salt Lake Tribune. [...]
"Had it come across my desk I would have questioned it, especially in connection with Earth Day. We are trying to promote saving the Earth, not using up our natural resources," said Rita Stevenson, the science curriculum director for the district's 59 elementary schools.
The Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining had a similarly-themed poster contest last year. See their list of sponsors below:
