Editor's Note

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 15:24:57 -0700

Considered to be Utah’s largest-ever economic development project, the Utah Inland Port is a proposed enterprise spanning over 16,000 acres to be located in Salt Lake City and undeveloped areas of Salt Lake County. The port is expected to have a great impact on Utah’s economy, bringing thousands of jobs and creating the infrastructure that will make Utah a global trade and logistics hub. With a project of this magnitude, its effects on everyday life here in Utah reach far and wide, and should be considered from every possible angle to ensure Utah’s continual benefit from this opportunity for years to come. That’s why it’s a great mystery that over the last four years of planning and early-stage development, the Utah Inland Port Authority has made massive missteps in coordinating with the public and their representatives, measuring the guaranteed negative impact on air quality due to increased freight and diesel operations, and considering the impact on the health and wellbeing of the communities surrounding the proposed space.

Since 2016, the port has been the topic of one lawsuit, two legislative bills, half a dozen protests, a letter of opposition on behalf of 24 community organizations, and countless headlines in the Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News. Just today, at the time of writing, it has come to light that money was questionably exchanged between local lawmakers and business interests regarding a satellite port in Green River. Finding information and keeping tabs on recent developments is becoming more challenging, and seemingly irrelevant to interested community members. Port board meetings which were previously available to the public have continued out of the public eye, largely in part due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This is the purpose of the Community Member’s Guide to Utah’s Inland Port: to make information regarding the port easily accessible and actionable by highlighting the shortcomings and addressing key points over the last four years on a timeline. In order to serve varying communities and interests, this guide provides both a simple overview for those who just want to learn more, as well as a more in-depth exploration of specific issues regarding the port. There is a similar resource created by the port’s main opposition group that shouldn’t be ignored called Stop the Polluting Port Fact Sheet, which provides a good summary, potential impacts, and steps for getting involved. That being said, it lacks the relevant references needed to back up its claims. In today’s discussions, references should be readily available and easy to cite, and the community guide you will find here will include them throughout so they can be easily cited and explored in each section. Also included is a highlight of local community leader Johnny Vasic, Director of Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment. Including over 450 physicians, UPHE has served as an authoritative voice on the harmful effects of pollution and has made even bigger waves in the last couple of years through the combined efforts of Vasic and Dr. Brian Moench. From spearheading a major lawsuit regarding illegal diesel emissions to serving as a key voice in the opposition to the port, Vasic has proved to be an influential nonprofit leader and deserves attention as such.

As development on Utah’s Inland Port continues, one can only hope that the impacts of its existence and decisions regarding its future will be wholly considered. Some considerations have already been forgotten, and now may never see the light of day. Some decisions have already been made, and now are sealed by law. It is the goal of the Community Guide to Utah’s Inland Port to both serve as a reliable source of information on the port to inform future discussion, and to preserve the timeline of its inception and those entities who were tied to it at each stage.

Seth Christiansen

Editor's Note