Utah Moms for Clean Air launches new chapter in Lehi to fight Geneva Rock's expansion
by Jennifer Weaver Wednesday, February 27th 2019
(KUTV) — Utah Moms for Clean Air is launching a new chapter to fight Geneva Rock's expansion that operates a mining operation in close proximity to many Lehi residents.
The new chapter is called Lehi Moms and Allies for Clean Air and is a health and child advocacy group led by mothers and co-founded by long-term Lehi residents, Erin Faraclas, Kelly Dyches, and Angie Parkin.
It is not commonly known that mining is actually not allowed in Lehi, according to municipal codes, a press release stated.
The chapter claims the city of Lehi contends that if they call “mining” by a different name (mass grading) they are not obligated to regulate the activity.
Since enforcement of zoning issues is delegated to the municipalities, the residents seemingly have no recourse to correct the issues, the release stated. '
A prepared statement said:
"Lehi Moms and Allies for Clean Air is gravely concerned about the potential risks this new mine poses to Lehi families and the apathy by City Hall to protect them. Thus, this new chapter of Utah Moms for Clean Air will start here with their advocacy."
Parkin worries about these health risks:
Silicosis, for example, is well-documented to harm the most vulnerable, this includes babies in utero. A lot of women in Utah County are in their childbearing years and are negatively impacted by poor air quality.
Faraclas says she was actually diagnosed this past fall with lung cancer, which required aggressive medical intervention.
Dyches also says she battles environmentally-triggered asthma that requires her to always carry a inhaler.
She added that she was shocked to learn from her doctor that, “I probably developed asthma from breathing Utah’s polluted air throughout my childhood when my lungs were developing.”
The moms say they do not want their children, or anyone's child, to ever suffer as they have so they are "committed to doing everything they can to fight to clean-up Utah's dirty air, starting right in Lehi," the release said.
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