Miss: Railroaded
In the ongoing fight about who gets to hold the hammer, the U.S. Supreme Court is wagging its finger at the U.S. Appeals Court. At issue is the 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway which environmentalists say would harm wildlife and vegetation, among other downstream effects. The railroad would connect eastern Utah to another rail on the Colorado River and pump up fossil fuel production. Of course, that's what the Utah legislature wants, and may be what the high court affirms, given its affinity to right-wing proposals. The project was first approved by the federal Surface Transportation Board, which the Appeals Court determined had not sufficiently analyzed the environmental impacts. No matter what the ruling, citizens can expect to see more from the courts as they wind their way to the top.
Hit: On the Level
No matter what you think about rivers and lakes, you can take heart that there is ongoing dialogue over Lake Powell and how canyons and rivers are affecting water levels and flows. All this is important to recreation, ecosystems and basic survival. The Utah News Collaborative reported on June 30 of not only sediment buildup in Lake Powell, but of "sand waves" that flow down and clog the river. The remaining deltas can become a problem, observed Jack Stauss of the Glen Canyon Institute. But it's not all bad and can rebuild beaches and restore ecosystems. There are a lot of plans, including draining Lake Powell or creating bypass tunnels. Lake Powell's capacity has dropped some 7% from all the sediment. While there's recycling and rebuilding of the red rock walls, officials and environmentalists are keeping tabs.
Miss: A Man and a "Plan"
Because Sen. Mike Lee so often broadcasts "alternative facts," it pains us to say he almost got something right. Briefly, we'll say he was wrong-headed by calling out the LDS church-owned KSL News in the Mia Bailey murder case. Obviously he doesn't understand the transgender world or the fact that people kill people. Oh, and guns do, too. But steering from that, let's talk about his call to dismantle the Federal Reserve. Lee's way is to totally destroy rather than reform the institution. He says it failed to achieve its mandate to manipulate the economy. It's so much more complicated than that. The Fed actually enables the rich and continues to bail out a "shadow banking system," while it should be deferring to legislators for good policy, according to Columbia law professor Lev Menand in a 2022 ProPublica interview. Lee thinks inflation is all the Fed's fault. As usual, he doesn't have a plan to make monetary policy work, unless you call letting banks run wild a plan.
About The Author
Katharine Biele
A City Weekly contributor since 1992, Katharine Biele is the informed voice behind our Hits & Misses column. When not writing, you can catch her working to empower voters and defend democracy alongside the League of Women Voters.
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