Granite Construction shareholders oppose their proposal for Parley’s Canyon

UPHE has been a strong voice of opposition to the proposed limestone quarry in Parleys Canyon since we found out about the proposal. The project poses severe threats to air quality, public health, water supplies, and local wildlife.

Despite Granite Construction’s claims of environmental stewardship, the recent shareholder vote reveals substantial internal dissent. Nearly 20% of shareholders believe the quarry contradicts the company’s environmental and community standards, a recent Salt Lake Tribune article reports.

The quarry would significantly increase fugitive dust and diesel exhaust emissions, jeopardizing the air quality in the Wasatch Front. It also risks polluting the watershed that supplies 20% of Salt Lake City’s water. The Utah Division of Oil, Gas, and Mining has already permitted the quarry, but it still requires final approval from the Utah Department of Environmental Quality and a conditional use permit from Salt Lake County, which opposes the project.

We urge Granite Construction to engage with the local community and reconsider this harmful project. It’s time to prioritize the health and well-being of Utah residents over industrial interests.

THIS PROJECT IS TOO RISKY FOR A COMPANY WITH A HISTORY OF NON-COMPLIANCE

Granite has violated at least 46 environmental rules or regulations at federal, state and local levels relating to air pollution, failing to control fugitive dust, hazardous waste, operating without a permit, violating air quality standards, violating the Clean Water Act and water pollution
Granite’s history of violating environmental regulations is especially ominous in light of the dire state of Utah’s water shortage, and public health consequences of inevitable dust pollution.

THIS PROJECT IS TOO RISKY FOR A COMPANY WITH A RECENT RECORD OF ETHICAL LAPSES

In 2015, Granite entered into a non-prosecution agreement and paid more than $8 million for engaging in a scheme to fraudulently claim credit for work performed by a minority owned business
In 2021, Granite admitted to providing potentially misleading information to auditors and concluded that the company’s previously issued financial statements and related disclosures should no longer be relied upon for the years 2017 and 2018, and for the first three quarters of the year 2019

GRANITE HAS ATTEMPTED TO CIRCUMVENT PUBLIC INPUT

Granite’s involvement in this project was deliberately withheld from the public well after the regulatory approval process began (in a December 2021 article in the Salt Lake Tribune: “According to Lusty, Lassley plans to have a reputable extraction company operate the quarry, but he is not ready to identify the potential operator”)
Granite engaged in an unprecedented, highly unethical scheme to circumvent Utah’s weak environmental laws by concurrently submitting applications to the state’s Division of Oil, Gas & Mining (DOGM) for a small mine (which doesn’t require public input) and a large mine (which does). Even though they have currently withdrawn the large mine application, their intent is obviously to expand to a large mine if the small mine is approved.
Despite a requirement to do so, neighbors claim that they were not contacted prior to the proposal’s submission

GRANITE HAS MADE ABSOLUTE GUARANTEES THROUGH PUBLIC RELATIONS

Granite makes a series of dishonest and absurd claims that they will ensure “no detrimental impact to the surrounding public health and air quality,” that they will ensure the safety of the public, that there will be “no impact on the watershed,” that the mine poses “no risk to groundwater, or Salt Lake City drinking water,” that there is “no danger from toxins related to this mine,” that they will “not leave a huge, ugly scar on the landscape,” and that the mine will “not make traffic worse.”

GRANITE HAS MADE FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO STATE POLITICIANS

Granite’s involvement in this project was publicly disclosed in January 2022
On January 12, Granite made $10,000 in political contributions ($5,000 to the Utah Republican Senate Campaign Committee and $5,000 to the Utah House Republican Election Committee)
These were Granite’s first political contributions at the state level since contributing $20,000 to the Critical Infrastructure Materials Coalition in 2019, prior to the passage of the Critical Infrastructure Materials bill (which added protections for gravel pit operators)