After two days at an officials training session in St. George, my head reeled with possibilities. Class after class, I learned what cities all over Utah are doing to attract economic development. Not just along the Wasatch Front. Even cities like Moab and Monticello have their own outdoor recreation departments, and getting a piece of the economic pie.
As a Grantsville councilwoman, I’ve attended Tooele County meetings where we talk a lot about economic development. How to attract and grow businesses aggressively. After all, we have land, lots of it, an educated workforce with a thriving Utah State University presence, and a semi-rural atmosphere that is conducive to raising families. We, too, want a piece of that pie.
As I drove home on I-15, however, my conference-high met with sobering reality. I passed some of the cities touted in class — Orem, Lehi, Provo, Sandy — and realized something. We want economic development but we don’t want to be another Orem, Lehi, Provo or Sandy. As fun as it is to drive out there to go to the mall or try a hip restaurant, Tooele County residents like me are glad we don’t have to deal with the headaches of big city living.
Some say we can’t have it both ways. If we want economic development, we can’t afford to be choosy. Take, for instance, Stericycle, a medical incineration company that was fined $2.3 million in 2014 for emissions violations and will face a public hearing for its air permit on April 18.
To Stericycle’s credit, it has reached out to our community leaders and citizens in its attempt to surmount the uphill battle of regaining the public’s trust. But much of that got derailed by the implied insult of its fine being cut in half if it moves to Tooele County.
So, should Stericycle be allowed to get an easy pass on its air permit?
Seems an ironic question, isn’t it? Doesn’t Tooele County’s economy depend on industries that specialize in hazardous waste disposal? Don’t we have companies within and near our borders that have also been accused of polluting?
The difference is, people from the bigger cities are moving to Tooele County to get away from it all. In the process, they bring in an environmental sensibility that is different from our county’s traditional norm. Even families who have lived here for generations recognize that a company’s environmental impact could jeopardize other industries, and corresponding jobs.
As a county, we can say yes to economic development without giving up our self-determination to a legislature predominantly represented by the Wasatch Front. We can say, thank you, we’ll consider it, instead of our county being the default “remote” alternative location. We want businesses, but we want to be able to vet them, too, and weigh their benefits against drawbacks. Especially ones with highly controversial profiles as Stericycle.
So yes, it’s OK to ask tough questions and still be pro-economic development. For example, can Stericycle’s incineration capacity be done in stages, as in, start with its current levels, and double once it has established a good track record in the new facility? This prudent approach will provide this company with known bypass events and emissions violations a chance to restore public trust. This is not just about emissions output; it is about making sure it lives up to what it says it will do.
It’s not too late to weigh in on Stericycle. Send your comments by email to jlblack@utah.gov, or by mail to Division of Air Quality, 195 N 1950 West, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114 by April 23. I also urge the public to participate in its upcoming solid waste permit process.
Jewel Allen is a Grantsville city councilwoman. This is her personal opinion, which does not necessarily reflect that of Grantsville city’s.