Community protests state authorized sale of tax-exempt junk bonds to fund industrial development in wetlands next to Great Salt Lake

On Tuesday, September 24 at 10 am, the Tooele Valley Public Infrastructure District (TVPID), a Utah special service district created by the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA), held a public hearing on Zoom (tape here), regarding their plan to sell ~ $100 million in tax-exempt high yield (junk) bonds to fund privately owned, poorly regulated infrastructure in an area already failing to meet federal air quality standards, and facing depleted and impaired water resources.

Over 60 community members attended the hearing in opposition to the proposed bond sale and delivered a petition signed by over 800 people opposing this state subsidized industrial development next to Great Salt Lake.

In addition, Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE) and the Center for Biological Diversity Center (Center)  sent a formal letter contesting the proposed sale, calling for the Tooele Valley Public Infrastructure District  to pause, add the requisite evidence to the record, re-issue its Notice of Bond Issuance, and demonstrate to the public that this development complies with Utah law. 

UPHE and the Center are requesting a hearing to further discuss the errors and  irregularities presented in this contest. The TVPID’s Bond Issuance violates the due  process clause of the Utah Constitution; fails to provide the public with critical financial  documents underlying TVPID’s decisions; fails to establish minimum mitigation and  environmental standards as required by Utah Code Ann. §11-58-602(1)(b)(i-iii); fails to adequately disclose how the TVPID plans to secure the bond as required by Utah Code  Ann. § 17D-4-301(2)(b); and violates private property rights. At this juncture, the TVPID  must pause, provide the public with the information requested in this letter, and restart the bond issuance process after the public has reviewed all the evidence substantiating this  decision.