URGENT URGENT URGENT – Everyone please read below and send email or call Governor Herbert – EVERY VOICE COUNTS – we must speak up on these concerns.

 

This has major impact on the millions of migratory birds and the ecosystem of the Great Salt Lake – the time to protect them is now!

 

From: FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake [mailto:snowyegret@fogsl.org]
Sent: Monday, March 12, 2018 12:25 PM
To: Janet Robins <janet@thesafetyconsortium.com>
Subject: ACTION ALERT – URGENT

 

ACTION ALERT: VETO SB 234 and HB 272

Dear FRIENDS,

 

The Utah Legislative Session wrapped up last week. FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake is concerned with two bills that passed the Utah Legislature and we are asking you to email or call Utah's Governor Herbert and ask him to VETO SB 234 and HB 272.

 

VETO SB 234 - "Utah Inland Port Authority"

 

SB 234 authorizes control to the state of Utah to create an inland port, a major transportation hub in Salt Lake City's Northwest Quadrant. The Northwest quadrant equates to 22,000 acres or one-third of Salt Lake City's lands. This bill undercuts local management over the northwest quadrant. Of the many concerns including taxes and loss of local decision making, FRIENDS is concerned that:

  • An inland port will have impacts on our environment (e.g., air pollution) and the millions of dollars that have been invested in conservation programs and properties on the south shore of Great Salt Lake.
  • SB 234 ignores the Northwest Quadrant Master Plan. This plan took years of collaborative time and energy and recognized both the economic opportunities and the ecological attributes of the Northwest Quadrant. The Northwest Quadrant Master Plan includes an important Natural Area that provides a critical buffer between development and the habitats along Great Salt Lake's shoreline that helps to protect the millions of birds that depend on Great Salt Lake. The Northwest Quadrant Master Plan also supports quality jobs and clean, high-tech light industry in the development zone. State control potentially could mean an oil tank farm or coal port based on this legislative action.
  • The inland port will be a contradiction to sustaining the important economy of Great Salt Lake ($1.3B annually to Utah’s gross domestic product) and ecologically critical ecosystem for millions of migratory birds.

Other reading on this issue:

  • Mayor Biskupski urges residents to ask Governor Herbert to veto inland port bill

“We are urging all Utah residents to contact Governor Herbert to veto SB234 because it is an unprecedented land and power grab of nearly 22,000 acres. The inland port bill undercuts local control and gives an unelected, unaccountable board authority over nearly one-third of the lands in Salt Lake City. The bill also gives the board up to 100% of tax increment for this area. For example, this means Salt Lake City School District would lose $145 million over the next 25 years.” Salt Lake City Mayor, Jackie Biskupski



The office of Utah Governor Gary Herbert can be contacted at 801-538-1000, or you can send an email at this site: https://gocentral.utah.gov/Request/Contact?response=true.

VETO HB 272 - "Utah Lake Amendments"

HB 272 authorizes the sale of up to 16,000 acres of public State Sovereign Land in Utah Lake to a private developer for residential and commercial use. The bill uses the promise of restoring Utah Lake's water quality but provides scant detail. FRIENDS is concerned that:

  • HB 272 is an unlawful sale of our public lands for use by a private developer and this sets a precedent for further public land sales, including Great Salt Lake's Sovereign Lands.
  • HB 272 does not provide any answers to critical questions on how Utah Lake will be restored.

Other reading on this issue:

  • Salt Lake Tribune Commentary by Andrew Follett and Ben Abbott: Keep Utah Lake Shallow and Wet, click here.

Please contact Utah's Governor Herbert and urge him to VETO SB 234 and HB 272

FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake

Senate Bill 234 Utah Inland Port Authority

To read the bill, click here.

House Bill 272 Utah Lake Amendments 

To read the bill, click here.

Contact Governor Gary Herbert

Call Governor Herbert at 801-538-1000, or send an email by clicking here.

Help FRIENDS continue to advocate for Great Salt Lake

Become a member, renew, or donate to help us in our mission to preserve and protect Great Salt Lake ecosystems through education, research, advocacy, and the arts. 

 

FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake Issues Forum Registration

FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake brings together stakeholders to discuss Great Salt Lake during our biennial Great Salt Lake Issues Forum, which will be held this year on May 9, 10, and 11th at the Fort Douglas Officers Club at the University of Utah. Keep the dialogue going and help preserve Great Salt Lake by registering today.

 

Doyle W. Stephens Research Scholarship Application

FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake awards $1,000.00 research scholarships to support new or ongoing graduate or undergraduate research projects related to Great Salt Lake. Applications are open until March 16th. Click here to apply. 

 

Issues Forum Call for Posters

The goal of the poster session is to feature biological, hydrological, geological, ecological, archaeological, historical, economic, and/or planning issues pertinent to Great Salt Lake and its management. Click here for details. 

 

Contact Us

150 South 600 East, St. 2B

Salt Lake City, UT 84102

snowyegret@fogsl.org

www.fogsl.org

Join or renew your membership

FRIENDS of Great Salt Lake is a 501c3 nonprofit working to preserve and protect Great Salt Lake ecosystems through education, research, advocacy, and the arts. www.fogsl.org

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