Letter to the editor: What's wrong with the Northern Corridor Highway?

It takes courage, character and judgment to be a successful elected official. Judgment is a learned skill that requires deeply considering a wide range of inputs. It's where our elected officials often fall short by forming firm positions prematurely, without enough input and without adjusting as conditions change. It's very evident in Washington County's 'Big Four' critical interrelated issues: growth, water, open space and transportation. On growth, local officials were coaxed into the 2006 Vision Dixie process. Constituents' message was clear: stop the sprawl, yet officials have encouraged it to continue, resulting in predictable pressure on the other three issues. On water, they said the Lake Powell Pipeline was an absolute necessity, with no alternatives. They refused to consider analysis showing the pipeline wasn't viable, and that conservation and re-use were the answer. We now have an exemplary water program, but the 30-year Lake Powell Pipeline distraction has made it much more expensive. On transportation and public lands protection, these same officials say the same thing about the Northern Corridor Highway: it's absolutely necessary with no alternatives. They disparage constituents advocating other solutions rather than engaging them. So, let's consider our local elected officials' position: 1. 'The highway was promised by Congress.' This is a disputed claim and will be decided in federal court. But the question remains: is there a better solution? The answer requires real community engagement. 2. 'The Northern Corridor is absolutely essential; the entire transportation system will fail without it.' Some transportation improvements are worth considering. Analysis shows that rush-hour in 2050 will be longer for those using Red Hills Parkway, but with questionable assumptions that high growth and sprawl must continue, drivers can't adapt and no other improvements are possible. Alternatives are being ignored. When Red Hills Parkway was built through the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area in 2012, St. George officials declared it to be the Northern Corridor Highway, but the Interstate 15 connection wasn't addressed. An alternative to the highway featuring an efficient connection was submitted for the 2018 federal study. It has no environmental issues, no need for federal approval, minimal property disruption, at less cost and equal efficiency to the Northern Corridor. Somehow, out of public view, without explanation, that alternative was changed into a proposal to make Red Hills Parkway an expressway, adding huge costs and property impacts — and then, surprise, officials said it was too costly. I've reviewed that original alternative with three St. George elected officials, and they thought it could work. I'll continue to talk with other officials about it, but these one-on-one discussions aren't sufficient. Considering this highway's huge cost and impacts on the environment, neighborhoods and open space, we should have a robust, open discussion between the experts, elected officials, neighborhood representatives and interested citizens before we make such an irreversible decision. 3. 'The Northern Corridor Highway is a win-win!' The proclaimed 'wins' are: solving future traffic problems, only damaging 200 acres of the National Conservation Area in trade for perpetual protection of the 7000-acre 'Zone 6' (an area north of Sun River, south of Santa Clara and west of Bloomington, owned half by Utah's Trust Lands Administration and half by the Bureau of Land Management). But it's actually a lose-lose. A lot more of the Red Cliffs National Conservation Area will be damaged than the highway's 200-acre footprint. The science is clear: highways attract predators of endangered species, bring invasive plants that crowd out native food sources, becoming tinder for the most damaging impact — wildfires. The area of impact is at least as big as Zone 6. The Green Springs neighborhood would experience huge property value impacts and wildfire risk. And Zone 6 cannot be protected by the county's proposal. BLM's half of it is already protected and the Trust Land Administration's half must be purchased or traded by the BLM, which is unrealistic. There are other ways to protect Zone 6, independent of the highway. And there are alternative solutions for our traffic issues. 4. 'Special interest groups are causing this trouble just to get more donations.' The people causing this trouble are local constituents, and their only special interest is to keep Washington County livable. About 10,000 of them are members of the local nonprofit Conserve Southwest Utah, formed 20 years ago. They seek productive engagement with elected officials on the Big Four issues outlined above. Instead, our officials insult them, calling them liars and worse, yet refuse conversation. These constituents would much, much rather work with local governments than battle them in court. The 20-year delay for a transportation solution is the fault of our elected officials, not their constituents. I have requested discussions for years, in emails, public meetings and published opinion pieces. Some officials will meet with me, but one-on-one conversations won't solve the problem. We need a community discussion, where technical issues involving transportation, land management, conservation and neighborhood impacts can be openly discussed. That kind of public problem-solving has been missing. Since our local governments won't organize it, Conserve Southwest Utah has agreed to host a series of community discussions on issues surrounding the Northern Corridor Highway — legal, transportation, environmental, neighborhoods and the future of Zone 6. The first discussion, scheduled for Thursday Sept. 24, 6-8 p.m., in the St George Library Branch on 100 S., will introduce the issues. We don't elect people to have all the answers, but rather to seek the answers by openly engaging constituents, being transparent with their reasoning and accepting questions rather than stonewalling and insulting them. If you're curious or disagree with these points, attend the community discussions. Submitted by Tom Butine, St. George. Tom Butine is a retired aerospace systems engineer and program manager, with a background in leading large technical teams to solve complex problems. He led the nonprofit as a volunteer board president for eight years, and formed the coalition of conservation groups and the legal team opposing the Northern Corridor Highway. Letters to the Editor are not the product of St. George News, its editors, staff or news contributors. The matters stated and opinions given are the responsibility of the person submitting them. They do not reflect the product or opinion of St. George News and are given only light edits for technical style and formatting.