SaveParleys.org https://www.saveparleys.org Save Parleys Canyon Mon, 15 Apr 2024 14:30:14 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://www.saveparleys.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/cropped-save-parleys-logo-icon-32x32.png SaveParleys.org https://www.saveparleys.org 32 32 California construction company moves to silence Parleys quarry opposition https://www.saveparleys.org/california-construction-company-moves-to-silence-parleys-quarry-opposition/ https://www.saveparleys.org/california-construction-company-moves-to-silence-parleys-quarry-opposition/#respond Mon, 15 Apr 2024 14:23:03 +0000 https://www.saveparleys.org/?p=1576 Shareholders in Granite Construction claim that the company isn’t following its own environmental standards. A group of shareholders claim that the company spearheading a controversial quarry in the Wasatch foothills isn’t living up to its own environmental standards and have submitted a proposal asking Granite Construction, a California-based company, to address their concerns at their upcoming annual […]

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Shareholders in Granite Construction claim that the company isn’t following its own environmental standards.

A group of shareholders claim that the company spearheading a controversial quarry in the Wasatch foothills isn’t living up to its own environmental standards and have submitted a proposal asking Granite Construction, a California-based company, to address their concerns at their upcoming annual shareholders meeting.

Read Article on Salt Lake Tribune 

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]]> https://www.saveparleys.org/california-construction-company-moves-to-silence-parleys-quarry-opposition/feed/ 0 Opinion: Don’t allow a rock quarry up Parleys Canyon https://www.saveparleys.org/opinion-dont-allow-a-rock-quarry-up-parleys-canyon/ Thu, 15 Feb 2024 15:19:39 +0000 https://www.saveparleys.org/?p=1528 2 bills at the Legislature would make it much harder to stop mining operations that impact safety and the environment

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Feb 14, 2024, 3:07pm MST
 

Let us state this clearly: Parleys Canyon, the entrance to the beautiful Salt Lake Valley, should not be home to a mine.

No one should doubt the need for rock quarries in order to keep up with the steady population growth along the Wasatch Front. The rock aggregate products that come from such quarries are required for home construction, sidewalks, highways and many other things that people rely on in order to live and prosper.

But it should be equally obvious that the siting of these quarries must be delicately balanced against the health, safety and environmental needs of nearby residents.

Read the full article on Deseret News

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]]> HB 502 Threatens Parleys Canyon https://www.saveparleys.org/hb-502-threatens-parleys-canyon/ Mon, 12 Feb 2024 17:31:39 +0000 https://www.saveparleys.org/?p=1510 Dear SaveParleys Friends, Thank You so much for your help this week!!!  We won the first battle in the Senate and now we face a new threat in the House.  The opposition that we were able to raise was so effective that Senator David Hinkins sent SB 172 back to the Senate Rules Committee.  While […]

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Dear SaveParleys Friends,

Thank You so much for your help this week!!!  We won the first battle in the Senate and now we face a new threat in the House. 

The opposition that we were able to raise was so effective that Senator David Hinkins sent SB 172 back to the Senate Rules Committee.  While it’s still possible for it to resurface, in a different form or with a new sponsor, we think it may be stopped for this session. We’ll keep you updated. 

However, a new bill has popped up this week in the House of Representative.  HB 502 is the new and sleeker version of SB 172.  This bill mandates that a city or county may not restrict, prohibit, or impose any conditions that would unreasonably limit mining or gravel pit operations.  See the talking points below.  This bill could be heard in committee as soon as Monday of next week.

This is the Devils Slide Quarry in Weber Canyon just off I-84 (it also has a cement plant).

The quarry itself is 475 acres or 2/3 the size of the proposed I-80 South Quarry in Parleys Canyon.

This is the Devils Slide Quarry in Weber Canyon just off I-84 (it also has a cement plant). The quarry itself is 475 acres or 2/3 the size of the proposed I-80 South Quarry in Parleys Canyon.

ACTIONS WE NEED YOU TO TAKE:

  • Here is the link to review HB 502
  • We need you to PLEASE:

Contact your House Representative by Monday morning.  Calls are better than emails even if you just leave a voicemail. Let them know you are against HB 502.  You can use some of the talking points listed below.  (Go to this link to find your House Representative’s information:  https://le.utah.gov/GIS/findDistrict.jsp)

  • Discuss one or more of these HB 502 talking points with legislators.
  1. HB 502, sponsored by Rep. Casey Snider (R Cache County) appears to be tailor-made to allow the proposed 635-acre quarry in Parleys Canyon to go forward.   The bill has three major impacts.
    • Just like SB 172, HB 502 preempts local land use authority and places the property rights of mining / gravel pits above the property rights of residents, businesses, schools, churches, etc.  It creates industrial “superzones’ by requiring political subdivisions (cities and counties) to allow mining and gravel pits in any zone where there is land that is more than 1000 feet from a residence AND within 500 feet of an interstate or rail line. So, for example, Salt Lake County could not prohibit mining anywhere in the Forestry and Recreation Zone which covers most of the central Wasatch Mountains, including Parleys Canyon.
    • HB 502 requires utility districts to provide water service to these mining operations even if located outside of, but are within 2 miles of the service district’s boundaries. So, for example, Salt Lake City Public Utilities would be required to provide the proposed 635-acre I-80 South Quarry with all of the water it needs for its operations and dust control- water that would otherwise flow to the Great Salt Lake. 
    • HB 502 requires each county, by November 30, 2024, to assess their sand, gravel, and aggregate supply and demand over the next 20 years and develop a plan to meet that demand from within their county.  This scope of a study is not feasible in this timeframe.  The legislature in this section is saying, “we don’t have sufficient information to understand whether or not there is enough raw construction material being produced” and in the first section they are saying, “the counties are preventing the production of the raw construction material and are creating a shortage, so the legislature needs to step in and override their land use authority.”  
  2. ***Please contact family and friends and ask them to call, and text their House Representatives by Monday night. Have them give their address and tell them that they are their constituent and that they live in their district.  Have them voice your concerns about this attempt to carve out an exemption in state law that would allow the quarry operators and mining companies to bypass local land use authority.  

Most particularly reach out to family and friends and ask them to call, email or text their Representatives, especially those that live in the districts of the sponsor (Rep. Casey Snider) and those Representatives that are on the House’s Natural Resources Committee. . Here is their contact information: 

  • Casey Snider
    (He’s the bill’s sponsor and also on the Natural Resources Committee)
    County he represents:  Cache
    Mobile #: 435-770-4081
    Email: csnider@le.utah.gov
  • Walt Brooks
    (He’s the chair of the Natural Resources Committee)
    County he represents: Washington
    Home: 435-817-3530
    Email: wbrooks@le.utah.gov
  • Rex P. Shipp
    County he represents: Iron
    Mobile: 435-590-1073
    email: rshipp@le.utah.gov
  • Gay Lynn Bennion
    County she represents: Salt Lake
    Mobile: 385-224-9197
    email: glbennion@le.utah.gov
  • Bridger Bolinder
    Counties he represents: Juab, Millard, Tooele
    Mobile: 435-255-3093
    email: bbolinder@le.utah.gov
  • Scott H. Chew
    Counties he represents: Duchesne and Uintah
    Mobile: 435-630-0221
    email: scottchew@le.utah.gov
  • Tim Jimenez
    County he represents: Tooele
    Mobile: 801-560-8061
    email: tjimenez@le.utah.gov
  • Mike L. Kohler
    Counties he represents: Summit, Wasatch
    Mobile: 801-420-6158
    email: mkohler@le.utah.gov
  • Stephen J. Lund
    Counties he represents: Juab, Sanpete
    Mobile: 385-358-3267
    email: slund@le.utah.gov
  • Doug Owen
    County he represents: Salt Lake
    Mobile: 385-499-3761
    email: dougowens@le.utah.gov
  • Thomas W. Peterson
    Counties he represents: Box Elder, Cache
    Mobile: 435-720-3516
    email: tpeterson@le.utah.gov
  • Mike Shultz
    Counties he represents: Davis, Weber
    Mobile: 801-538-1029
    email: mikeschultz@le.utah.gov
  • Keven J. Stratton
    County he represents: Utah
    Mobile: 801-836-6010
    email: kstratton@le.utah.gov
  • Christine F. Watkins
    Counties she represents: Carbon, Duchesne, Emery, Grand
    Mobile: 435-650-1969
    email: christinewatkins@le.utah.gov

Please remember to use kind communications and encourage family and friends as well.  We’ve heard that Senator Hinkins received threats to his family and himself.  It helps our cause more, when we are respectful.  Thank you so much for your help!!!  We all need to continue to work fast since they are trying to fast track these bills at every opportunity.   We will be in touch with future updates.

Best Regards, SaveParleys.org

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]]> SB 172 Threatens Parleys Canyon https://www.saveparleys.org/sb-172/ Fri, 02 Feb 2024 21:54:35 +0000 https://www.saveparleys.org/?p=1473 SB 172 “Protection Area” Revisions sponsored by Senator David Hinkins would allow open pit mines, like this one proposed for Parleys Canyon, wherever a mining claim had been made going back to pioneer days, regardless of whether the property had ever actually been mined or not. It could be in your back yard or one of your favorite natural spots. We’re all NIMBY’s now.

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Now coming to one of your favorite places. SB 172 protects land speculators and big extractive companies…but not you or your city.

SB 172 “Protection Area” Revisions sponsored by Senator David Hinkins would allow open pit mines, like this one proposed for Parleys Canyon, wherever a mining claim had been made going back to pioneer days, regardless of whether the property had ever actually been mined or not.  It could be in your back yard or one of your favorite natural spots.  We’re all NIMBY’s now.

SB 172 talking points with legislators.

  •  This bill is extremely complicated.  It creates major changes in zoning and land use authority for cities and counties across the state.  And it allows major adverse impacts on private property owners where the incursion of extraction industries could occur near to their homes and businesses with little recourse.
  • None of those adversely affected stakeholders were consulted or informed about these proposed changes in the law until they saw the text of SB 172 on January 31.  The bill should be tabled for this general session and the issue studied during the interim when there is adequate time to do a thoughtful review and hear public input.
  • This bill significantly expands the definition of what constitutes a vested right to mine or excavate property without local approval, including on property that has never been mined before and additional parcels nearby.
  • It prioritizes the property rights of those with mining interests above the property rights of neighboring residents, businesses, schools, churches, etc. and makes it difficult for local governments, residents and community organizations to challenge claims of mining rights.
  • This bill removes much of the authority of local governments to determine where new or expanded mines and gravel pits should be located and to protect public health and safety from the adverse effects of these operations.
  • We understand that Utah is growing and that raw construction materials will be needed to support that growth.  We believe that deciding the optimal sites for obtaining those materials should be determined through a process that balances cost, proximity to the need, and impacts on surrounding communities.  The preferred site for excavation of this scale should not be determined by one land speculator and one multi-billon dollar California company trying to change the rules that have been in place for decades.

Most particularly reach out to family and friends that live in the districts of the senators listed below- the bill sponsor (Sen. Hinkins), those Senators that represent Salt Lake County, and Senator Stuart Adams, the Senate President. 

List of Senators to Contact

Thank you so much for your help!!!  We all need to work fast since they are fast tracking this bill. If it passes the Senate, there is great concern that we won’t be able to stop it. None of us can do this alone. 

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]]> Property Values https://www.saveparleys.org/property-values/ Tue, 30 Jan 2024 15:19:58 +0000 https://www.saveparleys.org/?p=1448 According to a published study, gravel pits and quarries decrease nearby property values significantly by the following amounts: 25-30% for property within 0-0.5 miles (MountAir Canyon)5% for property within 3 miles (Canyon Rim, Parleys Way, and Foothill) Residents of the Canyon Rim neighborhood at the mouth of Parleys Canyon have complained for decades about the health […]

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]]> According to a published study, gravel pits and quarries decrease nearby property values significantly by the following amounts: 
25-30% for property within 0-0.5 miles (MountAir Canyon)
5% for property within 3 miles (Canyon Rim, Parleys Way, and Foothill)

Residents of the Canyon Rim neighborhood at the mouth of Parleys Canyon have complained for decades about the health and property impacts of the dust from the nearby Harpers Quarry- which is only 10% the size of the proposed I-80 South Quarry. 
 
The nearby MountAir Canyon community is designated as a National Historic District, with structures that date back to the late 1800s. 

Most of these homes are within one-quarter to one mile as the crow flies from the proposed mining area.

Many of the historic homes in MountAir are built on stilts or with unreinforced stone foundations and walls.

There will be an increased risk of avalanches and rockslides from blasting operations.

Blasting noise and vibration would be a new and constant intrusion for MountAir homeowners.

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]]> Traffic https://www.saveparleys.org/traffic/ Tue, 30 Jan 2024 15:18:46 +0000 https://www.saveparleys.org/?p=1446 The I-80 South Quarry developers estimate that 144 trucks would enter and leave the quarry every day for a total of 288 truck trips using Exit 132- or one truck every 3 minutes.   A total of 5,788 people died in large-truck crashes in the U.S. in 2021. The number of deaths increased 17% from 2020 […]

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]]> The I-80 South Quarry developers estimate that 144 trucks would enter and leave the quarry every day for a total of 288 truck trips using Exit 132- or one truck every 3 minutes.  

A total of 5,788 people died in large-truck crashes in the U.S. in 2021. The number of deaths increased 17% from 2020 and is up 47% in the last 10 years. The majority of deaths in large-truck crashes are occupants of other vehicles (72%), followed by truck occupants (17%), and non-occupants, primarily pedestrians and bicyclists (11%).

In a recent court filing in California, Granite Construction said that they are not responsible for assuring the safety practices of their customers’ truckers before or after they leave the quarry site.  

Gravel trucks in Utah pay one of the lowest registration fees in the nation, so taxpayers subsidize the costs to repair the damage these heavy-duty vehicles do to Utah’s roads and bridges.

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]]> Economic Growth https://www.saveparleys.org/economic-growth/ Tue, 30 Jan 2024 15:17:59 +0000 https://www.saveparleys.org/?p=1444 Pulverizing our wild canyon foothills into a gravel pit is also an economic problem. The #1 reason people move to live (and consequently work and invest) in Utah is our unique outdoor recreation resources The #1 reason high-tech employees in the Point of the Mountain area (home to another huge gravel pit) leave Utah is […]

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]]> Pulverizing our wild canyon foothills into a gravel pit is also an economic problem.

The #1 reason people move to live (and consequently work and invest) in Utah is our unique outdoor recreation resources

The #1 reason high-tech employees in the Point of the Mountain area (home to another huge gravel pit) leave Utah is poor air quality.

This gravel pit would therefore degrate Utah’s #1 economic asset (outdoor recreation) and exacerbate Utah’s #1 economic liability (air quality).

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]]> Tourism https://www.saveparleys.org/tourism/ Tue, 30 Jan 2024 15:17:01 +0000 https://www.saveparleys.org/?p=1442
  • Parleys Canyon is the principal route between the airport and hotels in the Salt Lake Valley and some of Utah’s most popular tourist destinations and events.  


  • These include:
  • Park City and its ski resorts and mountain biking
  • Deer Valley
  • The Sundance Film Festival
  • Summer outdoor concerts
  • Olympic venues
  • Wasatch Mountain State Park
  • Mountain Dell Golf Course
  • Jordanelle Reservoir
  • Parleys Canyon provides a greenbelt gateway that introduces visitors to these tourist destinations to one of Utah’s most valuable assets- the close proximity of outdoor scenery, wilderness, and recreation opportunities to a livable metropolitan area.  Now imagine that experience being replaced by traveling through a dust-filled, industrial area with mountains permanently scarred by excavation.  

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    ]]>         Recreation https://www.saveparleys.org/recreation/ Tue, 30 Jan 2024 15:15:18 +0000 https://www.saveparleys.org/?p=1434
    • The quarry would be visible from the ridge between Grandeur Peak and Mt Aire, a popular hiking destination from several trailheads in Millcreek Canyon

    • The terrain of the proposed quarry has potential for future easily accessible hiking and snowshoeing recreation uses as the population of the Salt Lake Valley continues to rapidly grow and more pressure is put on existing trails. 

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    ]]>         Scenic Value   https://www.saveparleys.org/scenic-value/ Tue, 23 Jan 2024 15:55:13 +0000 https://www.saveparleys.org/?p=1383 The size and scope of the proposed I-80 South Quarry would be the largest mining operation in the Central Wasatch Mountains.

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    • The size and scope of the proposed I-80 South Quarry would be the largest mining operation in the Central Wasatch Mountains.

    • The estimated operational life of this new gravel pit is ~100 years.

    • The Harper/Kilgore Quarry, the existing gravel pit in Parleys Canyon, currently operates on 11 acres but over its 125 year history has disturbed 67 acres.  This is only ~10% the size of the proposed I-80 South Quarry (634 acres).

    • Rio Tinto’s Bingham Copper Mine, visible from the Salt Lake Valley (as well as from space), has expanded to 1,900 acres over the past 115 years.  The proposed 635 acre I-80 South Quarry would initially be one-third that size.

    • If the initial project is allowed to proceed, the value of all adjacent parcels is effectively ruined for anything except more excavation.  The total potential affected acreage is ~2000 acres- equal in size to the Bingham Canyon Copper Mine. 

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