State lawmakers are planning another run at advancing a state-driven inland port initiative for Salt Lake City’s northwest quadrant, and, like last year, the move has wary city officials worried about the state’s motives.
House Speaker Greg Hughes confirmed Monday that a bill supporting the port concept would emerge in the current session, though he had not seen the legislation. He said the state wanted to cooperate with the city, not usurp its authority.
The inland, or global, port idea “is an opportunity for long-range economic development for the city,” Hughes said. “But that is a state of Utah opportunity that I particularly wouldn’t want to foist on one jurisdiction or municipality saying, ‘You handle it all on behalf of the state and its economy.