Washington, DC – A number of interested parties testified before a House subcommittee last Friday, most of whom were opposed to the SkiLink gondola proposed to tie together Canyons Resort and Solitude Mountain Resort in Utah.

The two ski resorts, Canyons Resort in Park City in Summit County and Solitude in Big Cottonwood Canyon in Salt Lake County, are currently separated only by a ridge. Driving between the two resorts, however, takes 45 minutes to an hour, depending on traffic and weather conditions. Backers of SkiLink have proposed selling 30.3 acres of National Forest land to facilitate the two-mile, eight-passenger gondola lift’s construction, arguing that it will ease traffic in Big Cottonwood Canyon and contribute to job growth and the economy in Utah by linking the two resorts via an 11-minute lift ride.

Friday’s testimony was required as a first step to initiate the public and procedural processes of environmental, zoning and public comment for SkiLink. It will by necessity be followed by further procedures at the federal level before moving to the local level for public approvals and studies. SkiLink cannot be built without approvals and permits being issued by Salt Lake County and Summit County.

Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon, U.S. Forest Service acting deputy chief of staff Gregory Smith, and Jeff Niermeyer, public utilities director for Salt Lake City, all testified against the land sale on Friday in hearings before the House Natural Resources subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. Becker, Corroon and Niermeyer expressed opposition based upon impacts to both the environment and the Salt Lake City watershed, part of which is formed by Big Cottonwood Canyon.

The plan “violates our current policies, developed over decades of public processes, fails to acknowledge important resources and uses in the Wasatch Canyons, and would damage our prized environment and balance of public uses and users,” Becker and Corroon said in a joint statement.

Smith argued that splitting a roadless area in two runs counter to Forest Service efforts to unite land parcels within National Forest boundaries. Backers of the plan argue that the 30.3 acres of Forest Service land identified in the bill is sandwiched between several much larger private land parcels that are already owned by Canyons and Solitude. Environmental groups, including Save Our Canyons have also expressed opposition to the proposal. Niermeyer opposes any plan that unites seven Wasatch ski resorts — Alta, Snowbird, Brighton, Park City Mountain and Deer Valley, in addition to Canyons and Solitude — none of which are geographically situated more than a couple of miles from one another.

Proponents of H.R. 3452, also known as The Wasatch Range Recreation Access Enhancement Act which would authorize the land sale, include members of Utah’s Republican congressional delegation, including influential Senator Orrin Hatch, and Rep. Rob Bishop, chairman of the House Natural Resources subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. They argue that  the bill “would infuse another $50 million a year into Utah’s economy and create 500 new jobs in the tourism and hospitality industries by creating the largest interconnected ski network in the United States and providing access to more than 6,000 acres of existing ski terrain.”

According to Wikstrom Economic & Planning Consultants, the ski and snowboard industry brought to Utah total spending of over $1.26 billion in the 2009-10 ski season and resulted in an additional $496 million in earnings and 20,000 jobs. Transportation development within and between Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons, however, remains a concern and is the subject of an ongoing Envision Utah Wasatch Canyons Tomorrow master planning process, as the Wasatch
Front population is expected to double in the next 30 years.

“I will always support measures that will give the state of Utah more control over Utah’s land,” said Mike Lee, a Republican U.S. Senator from Utah who also backs the SkiLink plan. “Tourism is an extremely important part of the state economy, and releasing this small section of land from federal control so that it may be sold and developed will improve Utah’s tourism appeal while increasing transportation efficiency and creating jobs.”

Parties testifying on Friday also included Canyons managing director Mike Goar, and Salt Lake County Councilman Michael H. Jensen, both of whom support the plan.

“We currently have no process to submit an application for SkiLink,” Goar confirmed. “By purchasing the land we will have a pathway to submit an application to the local governing agencies. H.R. 3452 requires the proposal meet all environmental requirements. If the land sale is approved we will then apply to Salt Lake and Summit counties for the development of SkiLink. This application will begin the process of environmental, zoning and other reviews as well as public comment.”

“According to the 2010 Utah Economic Report to the Governor, Utah’s skiing opportunities have attracted 4 million skier visits annually since 2005, despite the economic downturn,” added Jensen. “The Utah ski industry is an economic driver that has a positive ripple effect across multiple industries and regions in Utah. It is anticipated that the SkiLink project will build on that popularity and add dollars to the economy, create new jobs and increase tax revenue.

“According to a recent economic study, SkiLink will infuse $ 51 million into the Utah economy in its first year and provide $3,000,000 in increased tax revenue.  When it opens, SkiLink is expected to attract 75,000 people. To date, out-of-state skiers add around $1.3 billion to the Utah economy supporting around 20,000 jobs. The addition of SkiLink will only enhance economic opportunities by adding 500 more jobs in Utah, something badly needed during recessionary times.

“There have already been multiple studies…over three decades,” Jensen concluded. “It’s time to do something.”

Late on Thursday, Canyons representatives released the complete environmental, economic and transportation studies that were conducted in 2010 to support the proposed ski lift that were conducted by InterPlan, RCLCO (Robert Charles Lesser & Co., LLC) and Cirrus Ecological Solutions, LC. While the Cirrus environmental study references a ski run, Canyons officials stressed that in early meetings held with interested parties, Canyons received feedback about a ski run contributing to watershed concerns. Based on this feedback the SkiLink route was revised and the ski run was eliminated. Additional studies will be required as this project goes forward.

The study conducted by InterPlan cites specific traffic reductions on SR-190 in Big Cottonwood Canyon and along I-80 through Parley’s Canyon and SR-224 in Summit County ranging from 464 to 1,259 vehicles daily. The preliminary environmental review conducted by Cirrus Ecological Solutions, LC found no “‘show stopper’ types of environmental issues in the areas of special status species, water quality and watershed resources, or visual resources. Based on the cited regulatory considerations, the resources present in the project area, and the nature of the proposal, it appears that any potential impacts would be minor and that most would be mitigable  –  nothing unusual for ski area infrastructure proposals that are routinely approved.”

Niermeyer, however, remains unconvinced, telling the Associated Press that the SkiLink proposal is “the camel’s nose under the tent” that could open the Wasatch Mountains to further ski area development.