Although few if any - new jobs will be created in Emery County, residents there are determined that the Army's missile plan get off the ground without delay.
A battalion of Emery County residents invaded Salt Lake City Thursday to let the Army know that they are in favor of the Army's proposal to include the town of Green River in its testing of a new generation of defensive missiles."Gentleman, I'd like to say that in my back yard, you're welcome," said Emery County Commissioner Dixie Thompson during a public hearing on the Army's plan to launch unarmed missiles from Green River to White Sands Missile Range in southern New Mexico.
Thompson is running for Congress against Rep. Bill Orton, D-Utah, in the 3rd District. Orton has not yet taken a position on the missile plan.
At Thursday night's hearing, Thompson was joined by fellow Commissioner Mark Justice, Green River Mayor Judy Ann Scott and City Councilman Duane Riches, all of whom spoke in favor of the plan for economic and patriotic reasons.
Scott said the Army's coming to town would give a much-needed economic boost to Green River.
Justice had harsh words for Rep. Karen Shepherd, D-Utah, who is trying to stop the plan permanently through federal legislation. He called her views "elitist, ignorant and just plain stupid."
But the Emery County contingent's views appear to be out of touch with the rest of the state and region.
- At recent public hearings in New Mexico, nearly all the speakers, mostly Navajos, expressed opposition to the plan.
- At hearings in Moab, most residents there spoke out against the missile plan.
- And a Deseret News poll this month revealed that 59 percent of Utahns are opposed, with the largest opposition - 63 percent - coming from the 3rd Congressional District, which includes Emery County.
"Sometimes, the best interests of Utah are not the same as the best interests of the town of Green River," said Steve Erickson, spokesman for Downwinders, a military watchdog group based in Salt Lake City.
Most opponents in Utah are concerned about the Army's need to close I-70, to restrict boaters from going down the Green River and to evacuate two large "booster drop zones" north and east of Canyonlands National Park. The evacuations would restrict access to the park, popular areas outside the park and Dead Horse Point State Park.
Lt. Col. Louis Deeter and Randy Gallien, an Army engineer, said the Army is now considering plans to move the booster drop zones farther south away from Canyonlands and moving the launching pad farther away from Green River.
Noting the incompleteness of the Army's initial environmental studies, Erickson blasted the Army's proposed amendments, which aren't in writing.
"This (plan) strikes us as a moving target," Erickson said. "The fact that the Army gives no preferred alternative gives us the impression that anything goes."
Erickson questioned the fundamental need for the plan, saying he believes it appears to be the next "gravy train" for the defense industry.
Several people in Thursday's hearing said the plan is needed for national security and that previous testing programs in the area were conducted with minimal impact to the environment. Some people even questioned the patriotism of those opposing the plan.
But Paul Svendsen, Shepherd's spokesman, told the Army that the congresswoman is not opposed to the need for the plan. She simply believes the plan should not include Utah as there are sea-based alternatives.
"The federal government must understand that Utah is not a dumping ground for missiles, bombs, atomic waste, chemical weapons or anything else," Shepherd said in a statement read by Svendsen.