This article originally appeared on Medium. Read it in its entirety here.
The Utah House of Representatives passed SB248 from Rep. Mike McKell (R-Spanish Fork). As substituted, the legislation streamlines the ability for Utah counties to invest millions of dollars in an out-of-state coal port. During House debate, McKell repeatedly claimed that no taxpayer dollars would be used to build a coal port. Instead, he claimed that all the funds in Utah’s Throughput Infrastructure Fund were mineral lease royalty dollars.
These claims are false, as all funds currently in the Throughput Infrastructure Fund are sales tax dollars, funneled there from transportation funds during questioned fund shifting in 2016.
“This is why committee hearings and public input are so important when considering legislation,” said Chase Thomas, executive director of Alliance for a Better Utah. “Whether a blatant lie or mistaken belief, Rep. McKell made false statements on the floor regarding this bill that could not be corrected before it overwhelmingly passed. This is especially concerning because this bill directs millions of taxpayer dollars toward out-of-state coal ports that the public does not support.”
This article originally appeared on Medium. Read it in its entirety here.
