Utah leaders promise to save the Great Salt Lake. They bemoan bad air days. Our governor even asked us to pray for rain to improve the water supply. I believe in prayer, but I think God has a lot on his plate right now and there are things we can do to help ourselves.
One is to encourage your representatives, county leaders and city council to oppose building a satellite port in your area. They are on the table for many areas, being quietly arranged out of the spotlight. The people who will benefit from these ports are mainly the developers, some who have ties to our legislators, and not the people who live in the areas. The pollution and traffic they cause will affect us all.
I grew up in San Bernardino, California. It was once a beautiful valley like our Wasatch Front. Gradually the air got more and more “smoggy” until now it looks brown and feels oppressive. I hate to visit. One of the biggest drivers — the Inland Port. Not only has it polluted the air and increased truck traffic, the jobs it provides are low wage. With our current worker shortage and lack of affordable housing, building more industrial complexes here doesn’t make sense.
Making it worse, many of these complexes are proposed on or near wetlands. Wetlands actually improve water quality and absorb carbon, plus provide bird and species habitat. Restoring them or trying to mitigate damage to them, pales compared to protecting them.
In order to maintain our quality of life, we need to stop the spread of these ports and warehouse developments. They increase pollution, put more trucks on the road and increase rail traffic. Plus, they are destroying the wetlands. Make sure your leaders know you oppose them.
Patricia Becnel, Ogden
