BY EVAN HALL
Several groups are calling on the federal government to investigate legal concerns surrounding SB 246, a Utah law that authorizes funding for a coal export terminal in Oakland, California. In a letter sent to the U.S. Department of Justice, environmental advocates claim that there are legal and ethical red-flags in the way the coal port was financed.
The Mineral Lease Act states that royalties from mining on federal lands are to be used by the state’s Community Impact Board to fund public services and facilities. Aaron Paul, a Staff Attorney with the Grand Canyon Trust, said that SB 246 was used to shift money so the state of Utah would appear to follow the law...