"To commit to the open space of democracy is to begin to make room for conversations that can move us toward personal diplomacy. By personal diplomacy, I mean a flesh-and-blood encounter with public process that is not an abstraction but grounded in real time and space with people we face in our own hometowns. It's not altogether pleasant and there is no guarantee as to the outcome. Boos and cheers come in equal measure."
- Terry Tempest Williams - The Open Space of Democracy

On March 21, 2005, Utahns for Better Transportation (UBET), a coalition of individuals and organizations which includes FRIENDS, and the Sierra Club, submitted comments to the federal agencies on the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the proposed Legacy Parkway. We concluded that the DSEIS failed to consider practicable alternatives that would meet the stated project purpose and need. At the same time we submitted the Citizens Smart Growth Alternative (CSGA) as a viable alternative to building the parkway.

Prior to the release of the DSEIS, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) and their consultants worked with UBET, their consultants from Smart Mobility, and the Sierra Club, to analyze the CSGA. The analyses determined that this CSGA alternative would not only meet the purpose and need of relieving congestion on I-15 and provide an alternative route during I-15 reconstruction, but it would also reduce overall environmental impacts, and benefit the long term economic health of the region.

Soon after, at the request of and with full support from Governor Huntsman, UDOT, UBET and the Sierra Club met to discuss whether it would be possible to work toward a negotiated solution and avoid litigation over the parkway. To achieve such a compromise, the parties would have to explore all of the proposed elements of the Shared Solution advocated by UDOT and those championed by UBET in the CSGA, and determine if any combinations of strategies of these two alternatives could meet the needs and interests of all the parties involved.

With a handshake and a commitment to give it an honest try, key representatives with the authority to negotiate for the parties have been meeting almost weekly for several months. The decision making principle used to guide the development of this alternative and for all future decisions in this process is to make tomorrow better than today.

Holding to strict confidentiality, the parties proceeded to work through the many elements of the two alternatives, moving meticulously and incrementally in a positive direction. With each step, the respective parties needed to confer with their constituencies in preparation for the next round of talks.

In early July, after great persistence, great patience and successful negotiations, the parties created an Agreement in Principle. At the same time as this great success, Senator Hatch had prepared a secret rider that he intended to add to the federal transportation bill. This rider would nullify the very negotiations that had resulted in this agreement. Fortunately, this maneuver did not succeed. However, when Congress returns this fall from summer recess, there is no assurance that Hatch will not attempt to reintroduce the rider again.

Historically, the controversy over the proposed Legacy Parkway has pitted community against community, neighbor against neighbor and people against the Great Salt Lake. The delays and litigation linked to this project reflect the character of a real and robust public process. Instead of attempting a political end run to foreclose on this process, it should be regarded as essential and healthy to the fabric of our country.

We are on the verge of a major breakthrough. A breakthrough which could provide positive impacts for the future of our state, its economy, its environment and its transportation systems. And one that holds high the value of civil dialogue on difficult issues. If this breakthrough collapses because of political posturing, we should all be disturbed over the loss in our ability to work collectively as a community to solve our problems.

"Protecting the environment is not like building a highway or painting a building. You can't do it and walk away from further work. You must stay everlastingly at it, or things begin to slide." - William D Ruckelshaus 1st and 5th EPA Administrator

In saline,

Lynn de Freitas