Tooele Utah Inland Ports approved despite public protest

The Tooele community showed up strong outside of the county building ahead of the Utah Inland Ports vote to approve two new project areas in their county. The room was packed with locals and Stop the Polluting Port activists, many of whom were not given a chance to speak at the meeting.

The Utah Inland Port Authority still approved two sites in Tooele County.

**Both sites are set to be developed by relatives of the Utah legislature.**

The community still has a chance at preventing this taxpayer funded development though. Their County Council can walk it back. Contact information for the County Council is below:

Grantsville City Council
Mayor Critchlow ncritchlow@grantsvilleut.gov
Jewel Allen jallen@grantsvilleut.gov
Scott Bevan sbevan@grantsvilleut.gov
Jeff Hutchins jhutchins@grantsvilleut.gov
Jolene Jenkins jjenkins@grantsvilleut.gov
Darrin Rowberry drowberry@grantsvilleut.gov

Tooele County Council
Scott Wardle scott.wardle@tooeleco.org
435-843-3170
Kendall Thomas kendall.thomas@tooeleco.org
435-843-3151
Tye Hoffman tye.hoffman@tooeleco.org
435-843-3172
Jared Hamner jared.hamner@tooeleco.org
435-843-3171
Erik Stromberg erik.stromberg@tooeleco.org
435-843-3152

A KSL article covering the rally and vote quoted UPHE board member and physician Dr. Courtney Henley, “We might as well call it the Utah Inland ‘Harm’ Authority, because these projects have the potential to cause so much harm to public health and wellness,” Henley said. “For six years, the Utah Inland Port Authority has touted its goal to create truck, train and air shipping ports around the state of Utah. The only truck, train and air transport we have today relies on the burning of fossil fuels, and the emissions increase air pollution in the form of ozone and fine particulate matter.“

Dr. Henley was quoted in Fox13’s coverage as well, “Tooele County is discovering and understanding the truth, the truth that trucks and trains of the inland port, the air pollution they bring will cost a lot of health care dollars and make life a lot worse.”

ABC4 coverage reports “The Tooele Valley Project Area covers 243 acres and the Twenty Wells Project Area in Grantsville covers 498 acres, according to UIPA. There are now eight inland ports in total, including those in progress, within the state.”