Promontory Point Landfill

Proposed Promontory Landfill Hits A Roadblock

Box Elder County documents reveal cozy ties between commissioners and Promontory Point landfill

By Cathy McKitrick

OGDEN — Randy Moulding has been in the landfill business for 35 years. “County fees were too high to dump,” Moulding said of how his life’s work got its start. “So I went to Weber County commissioners with an idea, and they agreed it was a good thing to have a C & D landfill. The rest is history.” He started with a construction and demolition landfill near the 21st Street pond in Ogden, and now operates a transfer station at that site. Moulding also has a C & D landfill about 12 miles west on 900 South. Still, he hopes to open another, this time to the north in Box Elder County where he resides. In 2014, Moulding launched the groundwork for the 225-acre Franklin Hill municipal landfill in the middle of 2,200 acres he owns in Hansel Valley. That process took five years, but in December 2019, Moulding received his regional landfill permit from Utah’s Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control — only to get sidelined by rezone denials from Box Elder County’s appointed and elected officials in August and September 2020. Box Elder County Commissioner Stan Summers, now in his third term, opposes Moulding’s Franklin Hill site because he claims it sits on top of the Bothwell pocket, which he described as, “the last untapped water aquifer in the state.” Instead, Summers prefers the 2,000acre Promontory Point landfill, which received its Class I permit to handle in-state municipal waste in 2004 — but has yet to do so. Summers touts its capability to handle hundreds of millions of tons of waste far into the future, and sees no need for Franklin Hill. “With Promontory, it’s out in the middle of nowhere ... miles away from a lake that’s already dead,” Summers said of its location on a peninsula that juts into the Great Salt Lake. Half of its 2,000 acres serve as a buffer. In October 2020, Moulding sued Box Elder County and its commissioners in court, claiming his rights had been violated by their arbitrary and capricious decisions. “The reason I stay in the fight is because that’s what I do for a living. I’m in the landfill business,” Moulding said, adding that, “Weber and Davis Counties need a landfill up north, (because) going south through all that traffic isn’t good.”

Playing Favorites?

As Moulding sees it, Box Elder’s county commissioners have long favored Promontory Point landfill over his. On Dec, 4, 2019, the Box Elder County Commission hastily approved a contract for Promontory to handle county waste in emergencies. But they skirted Utah’s open meeting laws by handling the matter without any public notice. A Jan. 13, 2020 letter from Allos Environmental/Promontory Point Resources CEO Ann Garner to the Division, indicated the contract was needed to meet the requirements of their Class I permit. On March 3, 2021, the commission rescinded that contract. A member of the county attorney’s office explained that it was “entered into unknowingly in violation of procurement requirements ... Nothing was done on the contract while it was in existence, so this just does away with the contract.” However, Friends of the Great Salt Lake, an organization that advocates on behalf of the lake’s environment and ecosystem, asked Utah’s Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control to review what they viewed to be an illegal contract. They not only questioned how it got approved, but

The Box Elder County landfill employees told Utah Stories they had plenty of space and they don’t understand the need for another landfill at Promontory Point.

also its contents — or lack thereof. “There was very little information within the contract that would make it what we’d consider a viable contract,” said Friends’ Executive Director Lynn De Freitas. Four years earlier, commissioners had even offered to buy the Promontory landfill for $5 million. A January 2015 letter of intent showed their interest in such a purchase, along with proposed profit sharing. But that sale never materialized. During an August 2015 Commission meeting, the County attorney raised concerns about the constitutionality of such a partnership.

Waste wars

Weber County currently contracts with Republic Services to haul its municipal waste south on Interstate 15 to Republic’s landfill in Tooele County. About 18 months ago, Weber County commissioners put that contract out for bid via the county’s procurement process, and both Republic and Promontory submitted bids. Weber County Commissioner Scott Jenkins described a clause in Republic’s contract that said if someone beat its price by 10 percent, Weber could cancel the contract with Republic. “Promontory knew that, so they came in and gave us a bid under what we had with Republic,” Jenkins said. “But Republic’s document (also) said they had a chance to meet it,” and they did. So in early 2020, Republic got the nod for five more years. But if Promontory had functional rail service or better road access, that choice might have been different. “Promontory was going to haul the waste by truck. I wish they could do it by rail, because it’s a very short distance across the lake … but that didn’t work out for us,” said Commissioner Scott Jenkins. According to Jenkins, 15 to 18 doubletrailer trucks haul waste from the County’s transfer station to Tooele County six days a week, and each trailer holds 80,000 pounds. He worries about how those hefty trucks — each about 110 feet in length — could navigate the two-lane roads to Promontory. “There’s a couple of areas where you have to go around a corner and it’s very tight,” Jenkins said of the road that first heads north, then branches off to the south. Even so, he marvels at the extensive

buildout of the Promontory facility. “When you drive out there and look at the landfill, it’s like, wow, look at this; it’s ready to go right now,” Jenkins said. “And yet there isn’t a shovel full of garbage that’s ever been put in there. It’s the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.” Weber County Commissioner Jim Harvey said he’d love to redirect Weber’s waste to less-trafficked routes. “If Weber County were to take all our municipal waste up north, it would sure help us with air quality and traffic,” Harvey said. “In making the decision to move the garbage to Promontory, for me the rail was critical … I don’t think people appreciate the magnitude of waste, how much there is.” In lieu of taking trash to Promontory by rail, Harvey hopes Moulding’s Franklin Hill site can materialize. In his view, its location just north of Interstate 84 off Exit 16 makes it easily accessible by heavy trucks. In an emailed response, Allos Environmental said that more work needs to be done for rail service to function to Promontory, and it’s part of their longer term plan. The company also defended road access to the landfill: “The existing road, with the over $3 million in improvements we have provided, is fully adequate for the foreseeable future.” The email acknowledged that Promontory’s Class I permit expires this August, and is in the process of getting renewed, stating, “We don’t anticipate any problem there.” Friends’ De Freitas has voiced frequent concerns about Promontory’s potential impacts on the Great Salt Lake. In addition to the economic boon the lake brings to Utah through brine shrimping, mineral extraction and recreation — a 2012 study cited about $1.32 million annually — she worries about the wildlife habitat it provides. “There are 10 million migratory birds annually that rely on the Great Salt Lake for resting, staging and nesting; 338 species of birds rely on that system. Thirty percent of the Pacific flyway — waterfowl, swans, geese — come through to use the lake for obvious reasons,” De Freitas said.

Migratory Canadian geese in Salt Creek just a few miles from proposed landfill

Vertical Diner’s Vertical Tacos Cupcakes from City Cakes

Eating Well At The Table

Healthful Dining Destinations in SLC

By Ted Scheffler

During the past year, wellness has been on our minds even more than normal.

It’s been a challenge to stay safe and stay well, and many of us — I’ll speak for myself, anyway — have used lockdown as an excuse to, perhaps, eat a little less than healthily.

Comfort foods have reigned in our kitchen, for example. But as we begin to finally come out of the pandemic, we should regain focus and maybe stride to eat better. Here are some terrific local restaurants that are happy to help in that wellness quest.

Zest Kitchen & Bar

Zest Kitchen & Bar is a plant-based, glutenfree and vegan restaurant with a full-service bar, catering to guests 21 and over. Owner Casey Staker and his team describe their mission this way: “At Zest Kitchen & Bar, we value the health and welfare of people, animals, and our planet. By eating healthy, plant-based, organic foods, we can combat issues of factory farming one plate at a time!” Tasty treats from Zest range from homemade “cheese” biscuits and Cuban tacos made with jackfruit, to a crispy polenta skillet with marinara, squash, greens, onions, broccolini and local mushrooms. And how could you pass up an inventive antioxi drink made with organic green juice, local gin and green chartreuse?

Rawtopia

Three years ago, owner Omar Abou-Ismail moved his Rawtopia restaurant from Salt Lake City to the Olympus Hills Shopping Center in Millcreek, and added some meats and cooked foods to the array of raw food items at his eatery, along with some alcoholic beverages. It’s been a good move, and even during the pandemic, Rawtopia is open seven days a week with dine-in seating plus takeout and delivery. At Rawtopia, you’ll find high-quality organically grown, sustainable, gluten free, non-GMO products. According to the owner, he uses exclusively “low temperature techniques to preserve all the vital enzymes and nutrients, leaving your body, mind, and soul feeling satiated with health and vigor.” From labneh pizza, egusi African stew, and a beanless tostada, to the bison burger and cauliflower delight, there’s something delicious for every palate at Rawtopia.

Vertical Diner

When Ian and Kelsey Brandt created the Greens Vegetarian Food Cart in 1988, they probably never thought the concept would ultimately morph into Vertical Diner restaurants in SLC and Portland, Oregon. Following the success of Ian Brandt’s Sage’s Cafe, Vertical Diner opened in 2007 in an old 1950s diner serving affordable vegan cuisine, including all-day breakfast. The award-winning eatery serves up delicious dishes ranging from gluten-free pancakes and breakfast burritos, to their famous mushroom stroganoff, Jamaican jerk chicken, tacos with mesquit jackfruit, and much more, including a vast selection of cocktails, wine, beer, cider, teas and such.

City Cakes & Cafe

Nanete Wessels’ dream to have her own cake shop was realized in 2010 when she opened City Cakes & Cafe, specializing in vegan and gluten-free baked goods. Now, I’m neither vegan nor gluten-free, but I’d walk a mile to indulge in City Cakes’ triple chocolate brownies, the scrumptious lemon-coconut donuts, vegan and gluten-free cinnamon rolls, and the English-style vegan scones which come in both savory and sweet flavors.

Root’d Cafe

Cottonwood Heights’ Root’d Cafe is called that because it’s “root’d between the canyons.” Now open for COVID-conscious dine-in, patio dining and curbside pickup, Root’d Cafe serves breakfast, lunch, brunch and dinner, and offers an extensive selection of menu items including soups, salads, sandwiches, tacos, starters, beer and wine. I find the brunch menu especially appealing with dishes like a vegan tofu bowl, spinach and avocado Bene, tempeh BLT, and the Cottonwood Cobb Salad.

Lil Lotus

In the heart of Sugar House, where Shawarma King was previously located, is Lil Lotus. It’s an eatery that serves up plantbased comfort foods like burgers, nachos, tacos and hot dogs. Among the menu items that keep customers coming back are Nachos Sin Carne with walnut & chickpea chorizo or BBQ jackfruit; Late Night Navajo Tacos; Southwest Green Chile Mac ‘n Cheese; a Crab-less Seafood Roll, Chili-Cheese Fries, and others. It’s all served up in an eclectic atmosphere combining Buddhist symbols and tie-dye art with a modified Star Wars admonition: “May The Plant Force Be With You.” This ain’t your daddy’s comfort food joint.