I’m writing in response to the Tribune article, “Environmentalists excluded from speaking at congressional hearing in southern Utah,” published April 24.
I was at the April 22 field hearing organized by the Subcommittee on Federal Lands, including my Rep. Celeste Maloy. I was not permitted to speak, but here’s what I would have said if I had the opportunity:
The hearing titled, “Empowering local voices and stopping federal overreach to improve the management of Utah’s public lands,” was an intentionally skewed representation of “local voices.” The five witnesses invited to speak by the subcommittee supported the Northern Corridor Highway. There were no voices on stage that represented my vote of no highway through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area.
I live in Green Springs, and I say that the Northern Corridor Highway is a bad idea. I’m asking Rep. Maloy to listen to my voice and many others in my neighborhood and in Washington County. Many people in Utah’s District 2 do not want this highway.
The Northern Corridor will affect our property values, our neighborhood’s health and our family’s safety. This is not a joke! These are the types of things that Rep. Maloy is tasked with ensuring. The word conserve (e.g., National Conservation Area) means: “to protect (something, especially an environmentally or culturally important place or thing) from harm or destruction”. The land in question needs to be conserved; the title is self-explanatory. There are other alternatives for this highway that can, and need to be used.
I am a local voice, and this voice is saying no Northern Corridor Highway!
Ken Bouvier, Washington, Utah
