The sweeping changes that happened in the Grand County elections were a vote for Moab's economic future instead of the past.
Moab has changed a lot over the years. We were once tied to the boom and bust of extractive industries such as uranium mining and oil and gas drilling. When prices and demand were high, business was good. When prices were low, Moab residents lost jobs. Those days are gone.
Today, the bedrock of Moab's economy is not a drill bit or a bulldozer. It is a mountain bike on Slickrock Trail, a climber on the redrock wall of Wall Street, or an amazing view into the Needles of Canyonlands National Park.
Public lands really are big business for the outdoor recreation economy. Locally, public lands generate upwards of $200 million in economic activity for the city of Moab. In fact, tourism and recreation generates 2.5 to 3.5 times more tax revenue for Grand County than extractive industries.
Unfortunately, the Grand County Council had become out of touch with what was important to Moab. On one too many occasions, the council had dismissed concerns from Moab residents and business owners out-of-hand. In fact, the council had taken actions that actually undermined Moab's local industry.
There's no better example of the council's hostility to local concerns than the decision to ram through a proposal to join the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, which as it stands now is a bad deal for eastern Utah's recreation economy and a bad deal for Moab.
Just three months ago, the Grand County attorney warned the council in an internal legal memo that, "The coalition has the power to bind any of its member counties and to compel them to take any action."
In fact, the coalition could force Grand County into a binding contract for projects, even if the county objected, that would actually hurt Moab businesses that depend on a healthy and vibrant outdoor recreation and tourism industry.
And as the Salt Lake Tribune Editorial Board pointed out, the coalition is seeking to reallocate millions in taxpayer funds from the community-impact fund to subsidize projects for highly profitable drilling and mining companies
That's insulting. Those funds are intended to put money back into local communities for projects that benefit everyone and mitigate the impacts of drilling.
At the end of the day, the former council was willing to give up local control, gamble away our lands and hand over taxpayer funds even though it might hurt the businesses we have now in Moab. The voters found that unacceptable.
However, the coalition wasn't the only example where the council members had shown a hostility toward Moab's tourism and recreation economy.
Earlier this summer, Grand County, the city of Moab, the oil and gas industry, recreation businesses, potash mining companies and conservationists participated in a series of stakeholder meetings to provide local input and guidance to the Utah Bureau of Land Management in the Moab Master Leasing Plan.
This was a ground-breaking effort for stakeholders and the community to provide local input about managing public lands in a way that will benefit tourism and recreation as well as drilling and mining. Public lands management isn't a zero-sum game where we have to choose between development and conservation. We can roll up our sleeves, work hard and collaborate towards a solution that will benefit everyone. Nearly 40 percent of Grand County is already leased for oil and gas.
Instead of collaborating with local stakeholders and listening to Moab business owners involved in tourism and recreation, the former council members threw up their hands and stuck with the status quo, a plan that would put some of our prized recreation resources as well as Arches and Canyonlands National Park at risk.
The economic future of Moab, and the state of Utah, depends on a more collaborative approach that understands and respects the changes that have occurred to our economy. We are no longer dependent to the boom and bust of extractive industries.
We can and should make long-term investments in protecting our lands and having a balanced approach to energy development. Not only will we keep places like Moab a great place to live, work and play, but we will be protecting our billion dollar outdoor recreation industry.
Mary McGann was elected to the Grand County Council earlier this month.
Donate to the newsroom now. The Salt Lake Tribune, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity and contributions are tax deductible