And its mandate has nothing to do with promoting economic development, maintaining property values or enhancing the image of the old mining town at the base of the Oquirrh Mountains. But, unfortunately, it seems determined to take on those roles.

The Kennecott Tailings Impoundment Committee was formed by the Salt Lake County Council for a single purpose: to assure that Kennecott Copper's century-old tailings pond, in the event of a sizable earthquake, will not fail.

For decades, the dam was in danger of breaking and burying Magna's Green Meadows Estate subdivision, a fact that the company and state regulators unconscionably hid from the public. The company contends that the pond, which has been dewatered and reinforced, is now safe. And it gave the county $250,000 to conduct an independent study and verify its claims.

The tailings committee, composed primarily of Magna residents, is charged with shepherding that study along. It's supposed to formulate a request for proposals, hire consulting engineers to assess the seismic stability of the impoundment, assure that the study is properly conducted and report the findings to the public. But the committee, it seems, has strayed from its core mission.

At a meeting last month, several members suggested, and none objected, to using the committee as a platform for improving the public image of the town, an image tainted by the threat of a tailings pond collapse.

Such blatant, unabashed boosterism, especially by members who own property in Magna, creates a conflict of interest, and raises troubling questions. If the study determines that the tailings pond is still a threat, might the committee sugarcoat the findings? And if the study determines that the pond is safe, will the public be willing to take the committee at its word?

The community, thanks to Kennecott, has already endured one round of lies and deceit. Residents shouldn't have to worry that the committee will provide another dose of deception.

If committee members want Magna residents to accept their findings as fact, they need to set aside their public relations aspirations, denounce their transgressions in a clear and convincing fashion, and focus exclusively on the issue at hand.