Saving the Salt

[desotoman]

Racers -

We are making enormous progress.
 

Great news Louise, Thanks for the report.

Please keep us posted on what we need to do individually and when.

Thanks again to the Utah Alliance and STS.

Tom G.

[SPARKY]

very, very nervous, he was UNCOMFORABLE---

I listened closely to his words---In my opinion--they were chosen carefully---tried to paint a rosy picture ---without obvious miss-statements of facts

[jl222]

Racers -

On Tuesday I hosted Kathleen Clarke, Director of Public Lands Policy who works for Gov Herbert. She and her aide spent 9 hours on the salt with me. During the time they were shown the entire layout and operation of land speed racing, introduced to key SCTA personnel, witnessed action from the starting line, high-speed shut-down area, timing tower, inspection lines, impound and a great deal of time talking with racers in their pits. Lee Kennedy took us on a tour of the active courses and explained the safety procedures.

When she left Larry Volk took us out to a spot far beyond the rookie course where GREAT salt was in place, looking like it did in the 1960s; he proceeded to wail on it with a pick ax demonstrating how hard the salt SHOULD be to safely accommodate speed machines. Overall the day made an indelible, positive impression and she was mighty impressed with the professional, well planned and execution of the event. She promised to give the Governor, Dept of Natural Resources, Parks and Recreation, etc. a full report on the day.

I asked that since she was the former BLM director in DC, would she please give it a "deep think" about what the LSR community ought to be doing to get the restoration plan put into place.

On Thursday, 4 members of our US Congressional staff were on site. They stayed 4 hours and were given the same hospitality as Clarke but with a big group of STS and Utah Alliance folks doing the tour. All left saying their impression of the situation had changed dramatically and that the tour was of immense observational help. More on this when the bill is introduced in the HOR. However, before the day was done, the buzz had reached the ears of another congressman who CALLED US to say we can count on his full support for the new legislation.
Understand this was NOT a staffer, but the elected official himself.

We are making enormous progress.
 
NOTE: It was Jenna Whitlock, Acting BLM State Director who said, "Why are you going out there? They are racing, everything is fine."  Whitlock was responding to a personal invite Clarke made to join us for the in-depth salt tour. Other the BLM law enforcement, no other staffers stayed on-site as far as I know. Dr. Brenda Bowen and her post-doctoral student helping with the study attended and both were utterly entertained by the unfolding speed deeds as evidence by their instantaneous, beaming smiles when I asked them what they thought. . . .

Also, it was Emma Penrod at the SLC Tribune that called me asking for a reply to Kevin Oliver's comment to her that "everything was great, we and the racers are friends, the salt is back" or something like that. I replied that Oliver was delusional and the best characterization I could provide was that the salt was like patient that had awoken in the ICU after two comatose years and that plenty of rehab and healing was still on the chart before the patient was cleared for heavy-lifting duty -- aka  supporting hundreds of high speed machines safely. For that I got labeled, "outspoken critic of the BLM" in the article. I think it would make a great bumper sticker, or T-shirt.

  To bad the Thur  scheduling was so bad that the STAFF members could only see a total of 51 cars running instead of the pits
full of 600+ entries and the long lines waiting to run.
.
  Any other day Sat through Tue they could have talked to the racers about the poor course conditions and seen the numerous spins, turnouts and destruction of equipment for THEMSELVES.

  Louise... By Thur and Friday all but a hand full of racers have left.

              JL222


             

[dano]

very, very nervous, he was UNCOMFORABLE---

I listened closely to his words---In my opinion--they were chosen carefully---tried to paint a rosy picture ---without obvious miss-statements of facts

I wasn't there, who was the BLM representative?  Was it Kevin Oliver himself, or did he send a poor underling to face the crowd?

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Interesting note:  I was up on the tower during the meeting -- kinda watching out so the speakers held the mic in the right place and such.  I don't remember noticing the shaking hand -- but do remember that I elected NOT to reach up and move the mike -- the dude did look a bit apprehensive and i didn't want to interrupt his trains of thought.

[SPARKY]

he was shaking big time ---almost like he had palsy

[bbarn]

Interesting note:  I was up on the tower during the meeting -- kinda watching out so the speakers held the mic in the right place and such.  I don't remember noticing the shaking hand -- but do remember that I elected NOT to reach up and move the mike -- the dude did look a bit apprehensive and i didn't want to interrupt his trains of thought.

He had on a long sleeve shirt and it was buttoned up at the sleeve. His wrist was in a position that it was in the center of the cuff. He was also holding the mic well bellow center so any little movements would be exaggerated. Your position Slim was behind him on his left, you couldn't see his hand and arm from your perch.

I noticed you giving mic directions to everyone but him. I honestly felt bad for him, he doesn't do much public speaking I suppose or he was worried that the crowd would be hostile. He looked like a long-tailed cat in a rocking chair convention...

[Stan Back]

Most around us thought he had an illness.  I hope we're not disparaging him for that.

[joea]

Yes , we had perfect vantage point ...I felt like it certainly could be a tremor of some type ,
related to nerves or not ..certainly don't want to disparage him ..as we all likely well know , he not the BLM , just a messenger ..

[kiwi belly tank]

Salt study.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K1qk2K9sVE

[tauruck]

Sacrificial lamb?

[fordboy628]

More BS from Brenda . . . . . .

"Yeah folks, it's REALLY complicated."    (Mostly because I need a job . . . . and the BLM and the potash company need more time . . . . . )

[Finallygotit]

Subscribing

[BHR301]

Sounds like governmental double talk for "I'm going to do nothing constructive and suck up as much money as I can".

Bill

[manta22]

I did not hear one word about the most likely factor in the decline of the salt crust- mining. It is clear that they are going to study the minor factors to death, get government grants to do so, then write papers citing these "studies". That is the level to which science has sunk these days. We need a real scientist like Richard Feynman- after all the BS studies, he showed clearly what made the space shuttle explode.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ