Letting some of it trickle out while trying to soak it all in

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Lawsuits for Utah Lake

Last Tuesday, Lake Restoration Solutions sued me for $3 million dollars (news coverage here and here). Life’s been a little crazy since then, but the outpouring of support, love, and service from all of you has far outweighed the LRS developers’ fear and anger.

Every day since this went public, I have gotten emails, text messages, and phone calls from friends, family, and strangers. This morning Josh Johnson called me and said, “maybe these guys didn’t know that you have 50+ cousins just on the Hansen side.” 

Part of my legal team testing the waters on Utah Lake earlier this month.

From my perspective, we’re all cousins, and we are many more than 50. With so many dedicated, creative, and persistent people working together, I have absolute faith that this will turn for the benefit of Utah Lake and our community. I have felt your love and the calm assurance of the Spirit every day since they dropped off their lawsuit.

It is our God-given responsibility to care for and defend the glorious Earth that sustains us all. No part of this sacred creation is expendable—we can’t tolerate lakes being destroyed just like we can’t tolerate people being silenced for participating in civic life. As Naomi Klein wrote, “if each of us loved our homeplace enough to defend it, there would be no ecological crisis, no place could ever be written off as a sacrifice zone.”

I am so grateful to be surrounded by people of character who are committed to integrity and truth. “Do what is right; let the consequence follow.” 

If you want to help us win this lawsuit, feel free to contribute through the legal defense fund put together by Conserve Utah Valley on Facebook here or through PayPal here. If you already gave through the GoFundMe page that Melanie started, thank you (that will all be consolidated). Our goal is to not only win this case, but to use this opportunity to restore protection to Utah Lake, strengthen freedom of speech, establish strong precedent for public participation in government, and nurture a healthier and more open process for decision making in our state.

If you’re reading this, LRS, I’m not scared. I’ve got 50+ cousins just on the Hansen side.

Part of my expert legal team holding a confidential meeting at an undisclosed location on the north side of Utah Lake.

8 comments:

  1. I know where that undisclosed location is. :D Great spot. Yeah, LRS clearly hasn't got a leg to stand on scientifically. No one with evidence sits on it and hides it for 4 years. Even as someone not a member of your field at all I question how using the sediment to build an island sequesters the toxins/pollutants. It's still going to have lake water permeating it and leeching them out. Either way, this is ridiculous. I get it, the lake is big and takes up a lot of space in the valley... but it's kind of vitally important to the valley.

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  2. Hi Ben, best of luck fighting this spurious lawsuit. I don't know if you saw it on Twitter, but Ken White (a very experienced defense attorney and free speech advocate: https://brownwhitelaw.com/kenneth-p-white/) offered to help you find pro bono counsel if you need it. Just reach out to him on Twitter if so: https://twitter.com/Popehat/status/1483909009870450689

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    1. Thanks so much. He responded right away. Super nice.

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  3. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. For decades now I have held a great love respect and affinity for both Utah Lake and the Jordan River. They bring great peace and comfort to me and I will forever find myself daydreaming about what a paradise they must have been before human interference. And along with this Daydream I always fantasize about mobilizing a Grassroots restoration effort. What you are doing takes great courage and shows great wisdom. It's also simply quite beautiful.

    Josh Johnson was on the mark he just had it flipped upside down. They came after you with a lawsuit quite precisely because they DO know you have 50 plus cousins just on the Hansen side (I laughed so hard when I read the quote above because it was just so beautifuly Utahish). They also know that byu is a family, provo is a family, happy valley is a family and Utah is a family. You are their worst nightmare in terms of a resistance mobilisation threat. This isnt their first rodeo and no one gets to that level of power without having exception powers of observation and analysis. They knew coming into this that there was an inescapable tinderbox of resistance just wating for a flame, nay just a spark. And you may very well prove to be that spark.
    They have to keep the public in the dark to win amd this will require a considerable ammount of effort on their part. Because this is something that Utahns care about and when Utahns care about something they act to protect it. And correct me if I'm wrong but this will be a pivotal moment in Mankind's ecology track record. Its the 3rd largest freshwater lake in the westerm US and when taken in conjunction with the GSL, it represents one of the most important migratory bird weypoints in the entire world. I think in all reason, it should be a world heritage site. And besides, in the long run, the most profitable thing Society could do with it from a purely Financial standpoint IS restore it to its natural state. Such an outcome is still very much possible. But if the development is allowed to proceed there will be no turning back - Utah lake will be gone.

    Please forgive me for preaching to the choir or maybe rather choiring to the preacher. (is acquiring a recognized present participle? probably not). I'm just excited and inspired by what you've done.

    Regards
    Zac Prater

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  4. is *choiring a recognized present participle.

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