In Defense of Utah's Environment

Dear Governor Cox and Members of the Utah Legislature,  

Utah Tech Leads and the below signed companies urge you to oppose the proposed quarry in Parley’s Canyon, doing anything you can to bring this debacle to an end. The enormity of the proposal itself gives us pause, while the impact of such a large quarry at the proposed location is, to date, one of the most directly damaging projects to the health and well being of our industry and its employees.

Our companies prioritize the long term goals and successes of our great state. A proposal of this magnitude will undoubtedly have long term effects not just on the physical space, but on every single person living and working in Utah. As we seek to continuously improve our air quality, and thus our quality of life, we believe that an additional quarry directly contradicts those commitments.

Raw materials are absolutely necessary for continued growth. There is no question about that. As Utah continually fights for housing affordability, we recognize the useful resources needed for construction. However, the planned location and its impact on air, water, and recreational use is unacceptable.

We are faced with a unique opportunity to prove to our residents and the world that Utah is the best place to live, work, and play. Our economic stability, even in times of crisis, proves that Utah should be leading the nation in many areas of responsibility. We can and should be leaders in environmental impacts as well.

We urge you to stand with the tech industry fueling much of Utah's vibrant economic success (now accounting for 1 in 7 jobs), adjacent neighborhoods, and the over one-million people likely to be negatively affected by this proposal.  

We offer the additional attached information to help inform your decision and urge you to oppose the proposed Parley’s Mine.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Converse

CEO, Utah Tech Leads

Additional Information

Utahns, whether born and bred or adopted into our communities, integrate the state into their lives through contact with the beautiful natural resources Utah has readily available. A recent study by the Kem Gardner Institute demonstrated how integral the state's outdoors are to recruiting and retaining top talent in our fast-growing industry:

• 79% of tech workers relocating to Utah cited access to outdoor recreation as the most important factor in their decision, above career advancement, pay, benefits, and other considerations.
• For Utah natives who work in tech and moved away for a time, 82% said outdoor recreational access was the top reason for returning to the state, often for retirement.
• 85% reported that outdoor recreation has become more important to them since moving to Utah.

The proposed quarry - an open pit some fifty times larger than the other quarry in the area - diminishes accessibility to all the recreation opportunities our mountains provide. Locating an aggregate pit in the heart of the Wasatch Front strikes directly at the heart of our lifestyle and what makes Utah attractive to the tech sector and its high-paying jobs.

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