Ben Abbott Profile picture
Jul 19, 2022 11 tweets 6 min read Read on X
If you're still on the fence about whether to continue science-based restoration of Utah Lake or give away sovereign land for artificial islands, here is a short thread and a link to the deep dive.

1/11 benabbo.blogspot.com/2022/07/seven-…

#UtahLake #utpol #utleg
Last November, I wrote a blog post describing 7 problems with the idea of transforming Utah Lake into an island city.

The limited liability company behind the project (LRS) sued me for $3 million.

2/11 benabbo.blogspot.com/2021/11/seven-…
The lawsuit forced me to learn more than I ever wanted about LRS and their boondoggle.

This new blog post lays out some of these details. I hope you'll read the whole blog post, but this thread gives a summary of problems 8-14.

3/11 benabbo.blogspot.com/2022/07/seven-…
#8 LRS won't give a straight answer about who will be responsible if the project fails. These types of megaprojects are notorious for creating huge messes for the public but huge windfall profits for the proponents.

4/11 google.com/books/edition/…
#9 LRS won't share the details of what they are proposing, how they will achieve it, or how it will benefit the lake.

They promised the answers would be in their Army Corps application, but it was more smoke and mirrors.

5/11 conserveutahvalley.org/utah-lake-isla…
#10 Backwards science. LRS decided what the lake needed before doing any research. They started with a lucrative funding mechanism (selling land on artificial islands), and have been dredging up "evidence" to support their conclusion ever since.

6/11 conserveutahvalley.org/fundraising-ma…
#11 Disdain for free speech. Though LRS has spent big bucks on misleading advertising campaigns, they have yet to organize a single public meeting.

Instead, they sue critics, bully reporters, and ban anyone who asks questions from social media.

7/11 deseret.com/opinion/2022/1…
#12 Dishonesty and double standards. This is the longest section of the blog post because of the sheer number of inconsistencies and blatant deceptions.

From misrepresenting the lake to lying about their own lawsuit, are these the kind of partners we can trust?

8/11
#13 Turns out that LRS has a history of faux-conservation activities and personal enrichment from public funds. Their CEO has accepted $12 million in taxpayer dollars and then gone to court to keep Utahns from knowing how he spent it.

Fool me once?

9/11 sltrib.com/news/environme…
#14 A refusal to learn from restoration science and best practices. There are thousands of successful restoration projects around the world, including the June Sucker Recovery Program right here on Utah Lake.

LRS's real estate scam looks nothing like real restoration.

10/11
So what can we do?

1st, let's repeal the 2018 law that opened the door to giving away our sovereign lands. Call or email your state representatives and ask them to sponsor repeal.

2nd, Submit comments and questions to the Army Corps here: spk.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regul…

11/11

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Ben Abbott

Ben Abbott Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @thermokarst

Aug 27, 2020
Hey @BYU students. Can we talk about COVID-19? I have missed you and want us to have a successful and vibrant semester. Our actions in the coming days will determine whether we make it to Thanksgiving...or Labor Day. 1/10
When we wrote our reopening report earlier this month, our fears were still theoretical. The models told us that the risk was high for universities, but we all hoped the simulations were wrong. 2/10 pws.byu.edu/making-sense-o…
We have now seen campus after campus open and reclose because of outbreaks. 26,000 cases and 64 deaths on college campuses so far. Students sent home at huge expense and with great disruption. 3/10 nytimes.com/interactive/20…
Read 10 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(