Back in 2016, I got to meet Dale Petersen, who spent his life working for Utah Power & Light and his on-the-job exposure to asbestos left him with a terminal case of mesothelioma.
A few days before we spoke, Petersen celebrated his 70th birthday, then visited a doctor to have fluid drained from his lungs so he could go to the Capitol and testify against a bill he feared would prevent Utahns like him from getting compensation for their illnesses.
The bill, which was sponsored by Rep. Brad Wilson (now the House speaker), was nearly identical to legislation proposed by the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the National Council of Insurance Legislators and had the backing of the U.