From Deseret News archives:
Fingers point at Legacy cost
UDOT blames Sierra Club; activists fault state
At least $217 million is needed to complete the project and responsibility for that increase lies clearly with the state, said Marc Heileson, regional representative for the Sierra Club.
"Through bad actions, the Utah Department of Transportation has squandered public money," Heileson said Friday. "Now they're having to ask the Legislature for more money, and instead of accepting responsibility for signing a bad contract, they point the finger somewhere else."
On Thursday, that finger was pointing at the Sierra Club.
During a legislative budget meeting, UDOT executive director John Njord said he was 75 percent confident another lawsuit would be filed to halt construction of the roadway taking at least $75 million from taxpayers who must pay for project delays.
"Their modus operandi is very clearly defined," said Njord Friday. "One, they create delay. Two, they increase the cost of a project. Three, they try to erode public and political support for the project, ultimately resulting in the death of the project."
Heileson calls those claims "unprofessional."
A Sierra Club representative along with three others signed the letter, asking for a fair representation of where blame lies.
"Not only have they badly misrepresented the history of this matter and the actual reasons the state incurred significant delay costs, they also inexplicably sought to undermine the discussions we mutually agreed to before they have begun," reads the letter. "This is classic duplicity, bearing an olive branch in one hand while wielding a dagger behind one's back."
Njord stands by his earlier words.
"They brought the gun to this fight, they loaded the gun, they aimed it, they pulled the trigger and they hit their target," said Njord. "Unfortunately for all of us, their target was every citizen in the state of Utah. We're all paying for their actions."
In 2001, the Sierra Club, Utahns for Better Transportation and Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson filed a successful lawsuit in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver. UDOT was asked to complete a supplemental study of Legacy and review five areas of the project.
Three years later with millions in delay costs UDOT says the new study just reaffirmed its past work on the project.
It also hurt Utah taxpayers.
Comments
- Editorial: Mormons and gay rights 11:20 a.m.
- 5A: Hawks, Miners by the numbers 11:03 a.m.
- 5A: Hawks, Miners ready 11:00 a.m.
- 5A: Davis, Hunter by the numbers 10:53 a.m.
- 5A: Davis, Hunter - old fashioned 10:47 a.m.
- Sloan may toy with starting lineup 10:02 a.m.
- Iran began nuke plant 7 years ago 9:32 a.m.
- Downpours swamp Mid-Atlantic 9:31 a.m.
- John King replacing Dobbs show 9:30 a.m.
- Obama announces jobs forum 9:29 a.m.
- Alta's Ohai is Ms. Soccer 2009
- SLC council OKs gay rights policies
- Crash kills Utah County man
- Prep football: Felt's Facts Week
- Will state consider gay rights law?
- BYU football recruit turning heads
- Tavernari has matured
- Cougars practice with urgency
- Celtics crush Jazz
- 'Love story' of crash victim ends
- House passes health care bill
290 - SLC council OKs gay rights policies
261 - TCU showdown has big implications
195 - Senators want food tax restored
157 - Cougars crush hapless Cowboys
155 - Utah Jazz fall apart against Kings
131 - TCU 4th in AP poll; U. 16th, Y. 22nd
119 - S.L. vote pending on gay protections
110 - Letters: Strange breed in Utah
109 - Pratt pleads not guilty to sex charges
101
One of my guilty pleasures is perusing the covers of celebrity magazines...
yeah, utah has a lot to prove but so does BYU. BYU did good in '06 and '07...
PG: D-Will SG: Wes Matthews SF: Kirilenko (sad that he's the best option...
I agree that Reagan and the Bushes spent too much. They promoted too much big...
This saddens me & breaks my heart! I have NEVER seen anything in the Bible to...
Don't get me wrong... I like Taylor; you could even call me a fan. I just...
I really think Utah can upset TCU. Utah has a great defense and that alone...
Doctrine & Covenants 134:9 "We do not believe it just to amingle religious...
It is interesting to me that we will give our terrorists the right to sue the...
If all I want is a good-paying job as quickly as possible an Applied...
- How dare you include utah in the list of superior teams that have blown BYU...


You can be the first to comment on this story.