The Alliance for a Better Utah commends Thursday’s decision by four Utah counties to withdraw their application to invest in a $53 million coal port in Oakland, CA.
The decision was announced this morning in a meeting of the Community Impact Board (CIB) by Carbon County Commissioner Jae Potter following discussions he had with each of the involved counties. The decision was made with the understanding that the $53 million would be returned to the general CIB fund for use in other projects over the next two years. Chase Thomas, Better Utah’s Policy and Advocacy Counsel, issued the following statement:
“Better Utah is pleased with the counties’ decision today to withdraw their application for this questionable and wasteful out-of-state project. We are grateful they have finally come to the realization that this coal port is not going to happen in the wake of the Oakland City Council vote. As the CIB continues to move forward with its vital work of investing in Utah’s rural counties, we urge them to use this money as it has been intended – to invest in the communities affected by the extraction industry and to not attempt to use the money to fund another special interest project.”
