The Utah Community Impact Board, which disburses mineral lease monies, met recently in Vernal. I felt it my civic duty to learn and contribute.
The main item on the agenda was a proposed railway into the Uinta Basin. As the meeting started, a handful of protesters rose and stood, in polite but obvious opposition to the railway project. I was scribbling furiously on a scrap of paper, taking notes in anticipation of speaking. I don’t relish confrontation, but I feel strongly about the railway, so I was preparing myself. What follows are the things I learned.