This final blog post of 2019 covers our December partners meeting. Over the past year, UCAIR and our partners accomplished a lot by working together. Moving forward and building on the success of 2019 we are excited to see what 2020 has in store. At our last partners meeting of the year we welcomed Jack Hedge, the Executive Director of the Utah Inland Port Authority. He was gracious enough to come and talk to us about a very important issue to many Utah residents, the purposed Inland Port. He talked to us about personal background and goals of the Inland Port. 

Understanding Utah’s Inland Port- Jack Hedge, Executive Director

Utah is and has been the crossroads of the west for generations. First as the meeting point of the transcontinental railroad, then the interstate highway system, now our airport and perhaps in the future the purposed Inland Port. In 2019, Jack Hedge was hired to be the executive director of the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA). Mr. Hedge comes to UIPA with a strong background in logistics and management. His previous experience includes several years at the Port of Los Angeles, largest terminal complex in North America, and the Port of Tacoma. This experience also gives him a background in addressing issues surrounding air quality, traffic and storm water management. Mr. Hedge decided to take the job at the UIPA because it offered the opportunity to build world class logistic center from the ground up. Logistics centers don’t drive the economy, they support the economy. UIPA wants to make to make Salt Lake City the hub of a sustainable supply chain that will make our state a leader in revolutionizing global logistics for the next generation and the place companies from around the world want to be.

There are currently 42 million square feet of warehouse space in Salt Lake City and 15 million square feet of warehouse space located within the Inland Port boundaries. These warehouses have been built without the studies, reviews or regulations that are required of the Inland Port. Planning future development is critical because without proper planning we will end up with more of the same. Purpose of the UPIA and the outreach they have been conducting has been to insert public interest into the planning process. Through this process several important issues of public concern have been identified including air quality, traffic and congestion, impacts on natural habitats and wetlands, resource needs and the need for accountability and transparency from the UIPA. Moving forward the UIPA has a mission to promote sustainable and smart logistics investments through partnerships policies and programs. Accomplishing this mission will be the difference between having a sustainable well-planned facility and fixing the problems that arise from poorly planned facilities.

PARTNER ROUND TABLE

Following the presentation, partners shared what projects and initiatives they are currently working on. These included:

Kate Steinicke, Leader for Clean Air: Leader for Clean Air encourages electric vehicle adoption by installing chargers at business and other locations. They are able to offer chargers at a greatly reduced rate because of support from organizations like UCAIR and Rocky Mountain Power.

Corbin Anderson, Salt Lake Co. Health Dept.: They will be expanding their Vehicle Repair Assistance Program (VRAP) with the help of the Federal Targeted Airshed Grant. The new Vehicle Repair Assistance program will launch on April 1^st.

Thom Carter, UCAIR 

• The Emerging Leaders Summit will be held on January 6^th.
• January 27^th is the first day of the legislative session.
• The UCAIR annual campaign and redesigned UCAIR website were launched in early December.

NEXT MEETING: January 10, 2020, 9:00-11:00 AM