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SALT LAKE CITY — Critics of the Utah Inland Port Authority are pushing for a full audit of the state entity in their bid to put a check on its development initiatives around the state.
Deeda Seed, part of the Stop the Polluting Ports coalition that formed to counter inland port plans, said a recent audit of inland port finances isn't enough. State officials need to carry out a more comprehensive review as inland port project areas multiply around Utah, implementing a moratorium on development until it's complete. Results of the limited audit released last month, she charged, show that "everything is not fine."
The foes, worried about the potential environmental and health impacts of the plans, demonstrated at the state Capitol on Wednesday also calling into question the speed of inland port development. Eight sites around Utah have already received approval, though actual development could take years, while more, including a Weber County initiative, are in the works.
"No studies have been conducted that support a need for any of them. How many of these industrial logistic centers do we need?" said Katie Pappas, also part of Stop the Polluting Ports. Inland ports — developed in cooperation with local leaders where they are located — are envisioned as economic development engines, potentially serving as hubs of industry and transshipment points of goods.
Inland port development has been a touchy subject, and Ben Hart, executive director of the Utah Inland Port Authority, or UIPA, decried what he said is "misinformation" coming from critics. Speaking before Wednesday's meeting of the UIPA Board in a hearing room at the Capitol, which followed the demonstration, he countered many of the foes' points.
"We go through regular internal audits to make sure that our finances are in good shape and that everything is happening appropriately with our internal control policies. So no, I don't see a need for any audits that are happening beyond the audits that we're currently performing," he said.
The recent financial review by the state auditor's office called for changes to strengthen UIPA's "internal controls and its procurement policies and practices." Hart said after its release last month that the entity would take steps to address the issues.
Hart also countered critics' comments questioning the economic basis for the varied projects.
"Yes, there is absolutely a business model," he said, referencing prior use of tax-increment financing in economic development projects around the state. Private operators would be the main motors behind inland port projects, tapping tax-increment financing — property tax revenue generated in project areas — for infrastructure development.
Beyond that, Utah's road and transportation network is "overburdened" in the Salt Lake City area. Economic activity needs to be decentralized and developed around the state, he maintains, to address the stresses to the transportation system around the state capital, a goal of the varied inland port projects.
The inland port critics also reiterated their worries that the varied inland port projects will harm the Great Salt Lake and the wetlands around it. "The majority of these project areas lie within the Great Salt Lake basin. Development activities at these sites will threaten the Great Salt Lake ecosystem, including thousands of acres of wetlands necessary for birds, wildlife and the health of the lake itself," Pappas said.
Hart rebuffed the criticism, noting the local zoning ordinances and regulations developers would have to follow. "To say that we have a damaging impact on the lake or the wetlands is 100% misinformation," he said.
At Wednesday's meeting, the UIPA Board members heard a report on the Weber County inland port proposal, still subject to final approval. They also approved amendments to the Verk Industrial Park project plans in Spanish Fork, which increase its size by around 418 acres to 2,680 acres.
