Talking to Your Elected Officials About the Northern Corridor Highway

Either copy and paste or use these questions as a starting point for initiating a conversation about the Northern Corridor Highway with your elected officials. Click here to see contact information for your elected officials. Copy and paste the appropriate email addresses into the body of your email. Introduce yourself and explain why you’re writing. Be cordial, and approach this interaction with curiosity and respect.

For simplicity, these questions been organized under topic headings with recommended audiences for each topic. We recommend that you ask no more than 2 or 3 questions in an email. Please let us know what kind of responses you receive and how they resonate with you. Email us at save.red.cliffs@conserveswu.org

Hikers enjoying the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA.

 

Transportation Alternatives to the Northern Corridor Highway

Consider using this set of questions with the Dixie Transportation Advisory Committee (DTAC) and the Dixie Transportation Executive Committee (DTEC). DTAC is the technical advisory committee whose purpose is to develop plans and project recommendations to forward on to DTEC which is the policy body of the Dixie Metropolitan Planning Organization. Additionally, many of these questions would be appropriate to ask of your County Commission, Mayor and City Council Members.

 

  • Would you support an alternative to the Northern Corridor Highway outside the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA if it were proven to be successful and cost efficient?

 

  • Modeling shows that transportation alternatives outside of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA are more effective than the Northern Corridor Highway at reducing traffic congestion and travel time. Would you be willing to look at some of these options?

 

  • I’m aware that opposition to the transportation alternatives located outside the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA is based on anticipated impacts to businesses. Would you be willing to discuss how to reduce those impacts with community members, experts and stakeholders?

 

  • For the first time ever, a solution is in reach that balances Washington County’s growing population, transportation needs and our community’s treasured Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA. Would you be open to participating in a discussion with community stakeholders to discuss some of the effective alternatives to the Northern Corridor Highway that are now on the table and how to improve them by making them less impactful to local businesses?

 

  • I’ve heard messaging stating that many intersections will fail if the Northern Corridor Highway is not built. How do you define “fail”?   Do you think that solutions outside the Red Cliffs NCA could solve the problem?

 

  • What are your thoughts on how alternatives outside the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA could enhance St. George City, not detract from it?

 

  • Transportation improvements including increased use of mass transit, active transportation, integrated land use and transportation planning, traffic metering, viaducts, etc. are common in big cities. Do you foresee these changes coming to our growing community?

 

  • The County states that without the Northern Corridor Highway, residents can expect to add 300,000 hours per year onto their commutes. However, these 300,000 hours would be shared across the population in Washington County, which is currently around 180,000 residents. On average, this would be an extra 1.67 hours of commute time per year per person, or about a half minute per day per person.  Of course, this is a simplification: not everyone in the county is traveling on roads impacted Northern Corridor alternatives every day, and sometimes there are multiple people per vehicle.  Yet even if multiplied 10 times, it is still not a significant amount of time.  Could you clarify these conflicting ideas?

 

  • Can you envision a regional plan that addresses growth and transportation? I worry that without such a plan, our county will continue facing problems that result from poor placement of development and poor transportation access. Vision Dixie set the direction for smart growth. How do you see quality of life improving for Washington County residents by implementation of Vision Dixie principles in regional planning?

 

Protecting Local Businesses

Consider using this set of questions with your County Commission, Mayor and City Council Members.

  • Some elected officials have expressed concern that the transportation alternatives located outside of the Red Cliffs NCA will impact local businesses. Would you be willing to have a conversation with community members, stakeholders and experts to discuss ways to reduce these impacts?

 

  • Do you think that positive solutions could come out of sitting down with constituents and experts to discuss ways of improving the Red Hills Parkway Expressway and One-way Couplet transportation alternatives to the Northern Corridor?

 

  • Do you have thoughts about how the transportation alternatives located outside of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA could be explored slowly and deliberatively with other officials on your council or commission?

 

  • What positive outcomes could you foresee occurring by increasing transparency and engaging your constituents on the Northern Corridor Highway and its alternatives? Would you be willing to engage your constituents in discussing transportation alternatives to the highway and the criteria used to select them?

 

Value of the Red Cliffs NCA to our Community

Consider using this set of questions with your County Commission, Mayor and City Council Members.

  • Help me understand how the Northern Corridor Highway is consistent with the purpose of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve and Red Cliffs National Conservation Area.

 

  • How have you seen your community and your constituents benefit from protections for the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA?

 

  • Have you spent time in Red Cliffs Deserve/NCA, and if so, why do you appreciate this special place?

 

  • How does the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA add to the St. George urban area?

 

Homeowner Concerns

Consider this set of questions for Washington City Mayor and Council Members and Washington County Commissioners. If you’re a resident of Green Springs, Brio, Warm Springs or Middleton and would be personally impacted by this highway please note this in your email.

  • The proposed Northern Corridor Highway and connected Washington Parkway Extension would travel within 50 feet of some homes in Green Springs. What message do you have for homeowners who are concerned about decreased property value, loss of quality of life and health impacts because of the proximity of the Northern Corridor Highway to their homes?

 

  • Utah wildfires were up by 50% from 2019 to 2020 and cost the state $36 million to fight. What message do you have for homeowners who are concerned about the heightened fire danger posed by the Northern Corridor Highway traveling through cheatgrass-dominated areas near their homes?

 

  • Two fires burned nearly 25% of the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA in summer 2020. Both fires were human-caused and both were started on roads that travel through or adjacent to the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA. What are your thoughts on roads increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfires that impact ecosystems, wildlife, but also human communities?

 

  • The Cottonwood Trail Fire jumped four lanes of I-15, causing evacuations in Harrisburg, Angel Heights and Leeds. The Turkey Farm Road Fire jumped the Middleton Powerline Service Road, causing evacuations in Green Springs. What are your thoughts about the Northern Corridor Highway functioning as an effective fire break in cheatgrass-dominated landscapes during high winds and times of drought?

 

Fire

Consider using these questions with your members of Congress, State Government, County Commission, Mayor and City Council members.

  • 2020 has been a year of unprecedented wildfire in the western U.S. Utah wildfires were up by 50% from 2019 to 2020 and cost the state $36 million to fight. In July, two wildfires devastated nearly 25% of the Red Cliffs NCA and caused evacuations of many home owners. What are your thoughts on preventing wildfires in Washington County?

 

  • What are your thoughts on highways acting as fire breaks vs. highways increasing human access and functioning as ignition sources for wildfires? Do you believe the Northern Corridor Highway will function as a fire break in this era of mega drought? What are your thoughts on the Northern Corridor Highway increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfire in the Red Cliffs NCA/Desert Reserve and surrounding communities?

 

  • Should the NEPA review for the Northern Corridor Highway be paused until after the full impacts of the Turkey Farm Road and Cottonwood Trail Wildfires can be understood?

 

Laws, Precedents and Promises

Consider using these questions with your members of Congress, State Government, County Commission, Mayor and City Council members.

  • The Endangered Species Act (ESA) states that any action, like a new highway, cannot “jeopardize” the survival of a species or result in the “destruction or adverse modification” of its critical habitat. Help me understand how the Northern Corridor is within bounds of the ESA?

 

  • Some say that the Northern Corridor Highway was promised in the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The text of the law states that BLM must “identify 1 or more alternatives for a northern transportation route in the County”, but not specifically inside the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA.  It also implies that it allows for their study. Studies of a highway in Red Cliffs were done as part of the 2015 Resource Management Plan, and a highway in the NCA way denied as not being compliant with the law. Given this history, what are your thoughts on the highway being promised?

 

  • The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) prevents unnecessary or undue degradation of BLM lands. Help me understand how the Northern Corridor Highway is within bounds of FLPMA.

 

  • The No-Action Alternative outlined in the Draft EIS shows that Washington County would abandon the Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) if the Northern Corridor Highway inside the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA is not granted. How would you plan to continue facilitating development on private property within the county without an HCP?

 

  • The Northern Corridor Highway is a precedent-setting project for America’s treasured National Conservation Lands. Building the Northern Corridor Highway has the potential to have many long-lasting effects on conservation areas around the country. This is one of the reasons that so many people who live outside of Utah are commenting; they are concerned about keeping their conservation lands road free. Also, many people from out of state commented because they have visited here and want to see the area preserved. Are you aware that bringing a road through the Red Cliffs NCA will be the first in the nation to break the promise and bisect a National Conservation Area?

 

  • What do you think about the “one-time exception” that would be required for BLM to grant the Norther Corridor right-of-way, despite the highway’s documented adverse impacts to Endangered Species Act-listed species, critical habitat and National Register of Historic Places-eligible cultural sites?

 

  • The 1995 Habitat Conservation Plan states that the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve would protect a home for the Mojave desert tortoise in perpetuity and that Zone 3 would remain roadless. How do you feel about Washington County pulling out of this agreement?

 

  • If the Northern Corridor Highway is built through private inholdings inside the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA, what is to keep these inholdings from being developed?

 

            Envisioning the Future

Consider using these questions with your members of Congress, State Government, County Commission, Mayor and City Council members.

  • Many Washington County residents moved here because they fell in love with the beautiful scenery, outdoor recreation opportunities, and access to public lands like the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA. How can we best accommodate the growth predicted for Washington County while preserving the quality of life elements that make this area so attractive?

 

  • I value the balance between providing necessary infrastructure and maintaining the public lands that act as refuge for wildlife and people. I am hoping you do, too. How will this balance be maintained with the Northern Corridor Highway?

 

  • Transportation improvements including mass transit, walkable/bikeable communities, traffic metering, viaducts, etc. are common in big cities. Do you foresee these changes coming to our growing community?

 

  • What are your thoughts on the intersection between climate crisis migrations and projects like the Northern Corridor Highway? A recent study on climate migration predicts that between 2040 and 2060, Washington County will have between 11 and 17 weeks per year with temperatures higher than 95 degrees F; an average of at least 1 very large fire every year; and a 0.3% reduction of GDP related to climate damage. If these predictions are accurate, growth in St. George could be much lower than expected, making projects like the Northern Corridor Highway (and the Lake Powell Pipeline) less needed and their economic impacts to a smaller tax base more extreme.

 

  • Scientists are tracking a mega-drought emerging in the Western U.S. that is almost as bad or worse than any in the past 1,200 years. How should we prepare for climate change in Washington County and Utah?

 

Impacts to Special Properties – Land and Water Conservation Fund and Endangered Species Act Section 6

Consider using these questions with your members of Congress, State Government, County Commission, Mayor and City Council members.

  • The Land and Water Conservation Fund has supported acquisitions of spectacular properties in southern Utah including portions of the hugely popular Kanarraville Canyon, Zion National Park, and the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA. How do you feel about the Great American Outdoors Act which fully and permanently refunded the Land and Water Conservation Fund with bipartisan support in August 2020?

 

  • What do you think about the Washington County-preferred alignment for the Northern Corridor Highway being routed through lands inside the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA that were purchased for permanent protection with funding from the Land and Water Conservation Fund?

 

  • Since 1996, more than $20 million has been spent to acquire private inholdings in the Red Cliffs NCA for conservation of recreation, scenery and wildlife. How would you respond to constituent concerns about the Northern Corridor Highway impacting these lands? What are your thoughts on the highway being compatible with the purposes of the LWCF to preserve recreation, scenery and threatened species?

 

  • Section 6 of the Endangered Species Act authorizes the Secretary to enter into a cooperative agreement with any State which establishes and maintains a program for the conservation of endangered and threatened species, and provides funds that can be used to acquire land for conservation. The Northern Corridor Highway is routed through Section 6 parcels which Utah is required to transfer, replace, or pay the entire acquisition costs on to mitigate the highway. When and how will this be done, and what is the cost?

 

Resolving Inconsistencies

Consider these questions for the County Commission and for your Mayor and City Council Members. To see the messaging from Washington County that these questions are based on, please click here.

  • How would you respond to statements that the Northern Corridor Highway was promised in the 2009 lands bill when the language in Section 1977 of the bill directs BLM to identify a northern transportation route somewhere in the county, not specifically inside the Red Cliffs NCA?

 

  • Washington County states that the Northern Corridor Highway will only impact 250 acres of Mojave desert tortoise critical habitat and require the removal of 20 tortoises. The Draft EIS states that the highway is routed through the most important high-density cluster of Mojave desert tortoise in the Recovery Unit and that the highway’s indirect impacts may extend as far as 4.6 km on each side of a road, causing severe harm. Could you clarify these conflicting reports?

 

  • The County states that without the Northern Corridor Highway, residents can expect to add 300,000 hours per year onto their commutes. However, these 300,000 hours would be shared by the total number of residents in Washington County which is currently around 180,000 individuals. On average, this would be an extra 1.67 hours of commute time per year for individuals. Could you clarify these conflicting ideas?

 

  • Washington County messaging states that the Red Hills Parkway Expressway Alternative would require the removal of Dixie Rock. The Draft EIS says that construction would “require ROW acquisition on approximately 0.9 acre of Pioneer Park…The acquisition would occur directly adjacent to the existing Red Hills Parkway, and would encroach on areas not actively used for recreation. None of the outdoor recreation facilities would be affected.” Could you clarify these conflicting reports?

 

  • What are your thoughts on potential conflicts of interest related to the engineering firms that have completed early modeling and design work for the Northern Corridor Highway being the same firms who have indefinite quantities contracts with UDOT and would likely receive contracts to participate in final highway design and construction?

 

Zone 6

Consider using these questions with your State Government, County Commission, Mayor and City Council members.

  • How do you see Zone 6 mitigating for damage the Northern Corridor Highway would cause to the Congressionally-established purposes of the Red Cliffs NCA which include, in addition to the threatened Mojave desert tortoise, its ecological, wildlife, scenic, recreational, natural, cultural, historical, educational and scientific values?

 

  • How do you respond to messaging about the size of Zone 6 at 6,800 acres more than mitigating for the destruction of around 287 acres in the Red Cliffs Desert Reserve/NCA? Given the land ownership in Zone 6 and the high levels of OHV use, target shooting, grazing, illegal dumping and future planned roadways, this numbers-based comparison seems lacking.

 

  • The Dixie Metropolitan Planning Organization’s Draft 2019-2050 Regional Transportation Plan released in June 2019 listed 3 roadways that would impact tortoise habitat in Zone 6: the Western Corridor, extension of Navajo Dr., and extension of Green Valley Dr. What kind of impacts do you think the future roadways planned for Zone 6 will have on this area that is being offered as mitigation for the Northern Corridor Highway?

 

  • What can we do to end the target shooting, OHV use, illegal dumping and other damaging activities that occur in Zone 6 on both BLM and SITLA lands?

 

  • Washington County messaging on Zone 6 emphasizes its incredible recreational and wildlife value. If this is the case, do you think it would be possible to protect Zone 6 independently of the Northern Corridor Highway?

 

  • SITLA owns half of the land in Zone 6. Their fiduciary duty is to generate revenue for schools and the trust. How can SITLA be bound by promises not to develop properties in Zone 6?

 

Legislation

Consider using these questions with your members of Congress, State Government, County Commission, Mayor and City Council members.

  • Would you prefer to see the Northern Corridor Highway achieved through legislation like R. 7815 that cuts out public engagement, or that the highway be analyzed by experts and the public working together to select the best transportation alternative?